Botanical name:                  Prunus spinosa

Family:                                   Rosaceae

Common Name:                   Blackthorn

Habitat and Distribution:

A British native of hedgerows and woodland edge found in Europe, N. Africa and Asia Minor. Also cultivated and naturalised in eastern North America.

Description:

A deciduous multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, to 8 metres (25 ft), with small dark green leafs. The twigs bear hard sharp spines.

The white flowers (1.2 cm across) are borne in profusion; they open in early spring, before the leaves.

The fruits (sloes) which are black with a bluish bloom are 1.2 cm across and ripen in autumn. They are very bitter until they have been caught by the first heavy frost of winter.

Timber:

The heartwood is hard and a rich red-brown.

Uses:

The wood is used mainly for small marquetry pieces including Tunbridgeware. Small branches are also used for making walking sticks.

Historically is has been used for the teeth of hay rakes.

The popularity of blackthorn comes from its fruits, the sloes, which are a vital ingredient of Sloe Gin. (The other ingredients are gin... and time!)

Blackthorn is mainly used as hedging.

Location within the arboretum:

The specimen is located in the old entrance gate area, towards the eastern end, quite close to the fence on the northern boundary.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

 

 

September 2005

Cluster of flowers

Detail of flower

The fruits - sloes

Bark

Leaves

The thorns are about 3 cm long

Tunbridgeware boxes and table

Blackthorn walking sticks

Sloe gin

Hay rake