The blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a 2-6 m tall shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). The species occurs naturally in the Benelux, where the plant occurs mainly along forest edges. The wood is very hard.
The conspicuous flowering is before there are leaves, from March to April, and pollination is by insects, especially the honey bee.
Fruit set is from August onwards. The sloes are very tart, and only become tasty after the frost has passed over them. The fruits are used in jams, fruit purees, fruit juices, liqueurs (sloe gin or patxaran), fruit wines and brandies, such as slivovitz.
The plant propagates by seeds and by root storage. The blackthorn is reasonably protected from being eaten by large grazers by its thorns. Once it is established, it takes up more and more space. This then also offers the opportunity for trees like the oak to reach maturity.
The name of the shrub contains an old word for plum, sledge, which is related to the word for plum in the Slavic languages, a word that can be found in the name slivovich and szilva pálinka.
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