Blackthorn was @SpeciesofUK from 9th to
22nd December, 2013.
The blackthorn
is a small deciduous tree native to the UK and indeed most of Europe.[1]
Blackthorn can be found growing both naturally and in
planted hedges.
Blackthorn
is perhaps best known as an excellent hedging plant. It provides a tough,
thorny, animal-proof boundary that can cope with most soils.[2]
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| Blackthorn Hedge [Flickr Creative Commons © Sorbus sapiens] |
An even
stronger blackthorn hedge can be made by 'pleaching,' interweaving living and
dead branches.
 |
| Pleaching Blackthorn [Flickr Creative Commons © CaptainOates] |
As well
as being used in hedges, blackthorn is a natively-growing UK plant and it occurs
naturally in scrub, copses and woodlands.[3]
Blackthorn is spiny, but pretty!
The dark
brown bark of blackthorn is smooth, but its twigs form perpendicular shoots,
which develop into thorns. It's also densely branched, making it nigh-on
impenetrable.[4]
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| Thorny Blackthorn [Flickr Creative Commons © the incredible how] |
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| A Blackthorn Thorn [Flickr Creative Commons © John Tann] |
Mature
blackthorn trees can grow to a height of around six or seven metres and can
live for up to a hundred years.[5]
 |
| A Tall-growing Blackthorn [Flickr Creative Commons © Tio Noi] |
Blackthorn
leaves are slightly wrinkled, oval, toothed, pointed at the tip and tapered at
the base.[6]
 |
| Blackthorn Leaf in Autumn [Flickr Creative Commons © anemoneprojectors] |
Blackthorn
is hermaphroditic, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are found in
one flower.[7] The
flowers are white and appear on short stalks before the leaves in March or
April, singularly or in pairs.[8]
The
blossom is most spectacular in years where a false spring is followed by a very
cold snap. These are called ‘blackthorn winters’.[9]
But the loveliest thing about blackthorn is its fruit.
Once
pollinated by insects, blackthorn flowers develop into blue-black fruits
measuring 1.5cm across. These are the famous 'sloes.'[10]
 |
| Sloes [Flickr Creative Commons © Alexandre Dulaunoy] |
Sloes are used for wine making and preserves and, most commonly, flavouring sloe gin.[11] Sloe gin is a red liqueur flavoured with sloes which has a high sugar content. It originates in the UK![12]
It’s best
to use ripe sloes, traditionally picked after the first frost (late October to
early November).[13] A half bottle of sloes is mixed with half
their weight again in sugar and the bottle filled with gin, before being left
for two months and then strained.[14]
 |
| Sloe Gin [Flickr Creative Commons © Denni Schnapp] |
In addition
to flavouring gin, sloes are used in jellies, conserves and syrups, and have various
uses in folk medicine.[15]
The
flowers of blackthorn are also edible, while the leaves have been dried and
used as a substitute for tea.[16]
It's possible to confuse blackthorn with hawthorn.
Both
plants are from the Rosaceae 'rose'
family, and they are both very thorny. However there are several key
differences.[17]
1.
Blackthorn has oval, tapered leaves, whereas hawthorn has distinctive small,
lobed leaves.[18]
2.
Blackthorn thorns are noticeably longer than hawthorn, and the plant is more
messy-looking and dense overall.[19]
3.
Blackthorn flowers appear before the leaves, whereas hawthorn flowers appear
after.[20]
4. The
fruits are completely different. Haws from hawthorn are red, and sloes from
blackthorn are blue.[21]
Blackthorn hedgerows provide a great habitat to
many other species.
Because
blackthorn flowers quite early, it provides a valuable source of nectar and
pollen for bees in spring.[22]
Blackthorn
foliage is a food plant for the caterpillars of moths such as the lackey,
magpie, common emerald, small swallow-tailed and yellow-tailed.[23] Moths also take advantage of the blossoms as a source of nectar.
 |
| Small Quaker Moth on Blackthorn [Flickr Creative Commons © Sinkha63] |
Blackthorn has a particularly close relationship with the brown hairstreak butterfly, which returns to blackthorn in late August to lay its eggs.[24] The eggs overwinter and hatch in spring when the buds are breaking.[25]
 |
| Brown Hairstreak Laying Egg on Blackthorn [Flickr Creative Commons © oldbilluk] |
Birds such as nightingales nest among dense, thorny blackthorn thickets, eating caterpillars and other insects from the leaves. Then they feast on the berries in autumn.[26]
Blackthorn timber is hardwearing and tough.
The wood from
blackthorn was traditionally used to make walking sticks, tool parts and riding
sticks.[27]
Blackthorn
was the traditional wood for Irish shillelaghs - clubs/walking sticks that were
used to settle disputes in a gentlemanly manner.[28]
Strange but true…
Blackthorn
has long been associated with witchcraft, and it is said that witches' wands and
staffs are made from blackthorn wood.[29]
[1] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[2] http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/hedging-plants-trees-shrubs-bareroot/native-hedging/blackthorn-sloe-prunus-spinosa
[3] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[4] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[5] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[6] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[7] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[8] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[10] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[17] http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2010/06/blackthorn-vs-hawthorn-an-identification-guide/
[18] http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2010/06/blackthorn-vs-hawthorn-an-identification-guide/
[19] http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2010/06/blackthorn-vs-hawthorn-an-identification-guide/
[20] http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2010/06/blackthorn-vs-hawthorn-an-identification-guide/
[21] http://www.skillsforwildlives.com/2010/06/blackthorn-vs-hawthorn-an-identification-guide/
[22] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[23] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[24] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Hairstreak
[25] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Hairstreak
[26] http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_nativehedge1.shtml;
http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/hedging-plants-trees-shrubs-bareroot/native-hedging/blackthorn-sloe-prunus-spinosa;
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
[27] http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/learn/british-trees/native-trees/blackthorn/
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