# Blackthorn (*Prunus spinosa*) Blackthorn is a prickly shrub that grows beautiful white flowers in spring. It produces small, dark fruits called sloes that many animals love to eat! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Habitat:** Woodlands - **Also known as:** Blackthorn Bush, Sloe ![Blackthorn](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Closeup_of_blackthorn_aka_sloe_aka_prunus_spinosa_sweden_20050924.jpg&width=800) Photo: Martin Olsson (mnemo on en/sv wikipedia and commons, martin@minimum.se), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closeup_of_blackthorn_aka_sloe_aka_prunus_spinosa_sweden_20050924.jpg) ## Appearance The Blackthorn is a dense, thorny shrub with dark, almost black bark and small, oval leaves. It boasts a spectacular display of tiny, white five-petaled flowers that emerge profusely on bare branches before its leaves appear in early spring, often giving it a snowy appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Prunus ## Interesting facts - Blackthorn's name comes from its incredibly dark bark and sharp, black-tipped thorns. - Its super-hard wood was traditionally used to make shillelaghs, strong Irish walking sticks! - People have used its tiny, sharp thorns as pins or even for ancient tattooing! - The fruits, called sloes, are incredibly sour until a hard frost sweetens them up! ## Special abilities - **Spring Pioneer:** Blackthorn can bloom incredibly early in spring, giving its white flowers a head start to attract the first sleepy insects. - **Frosty Fruit Power:** Blackthorn fruits, called sloes, get sweeter after a hard frost, making them perfect for birds to eat and spread its seeds! - **Underground Network:** Blackthorn can spread by sending up new shoots from its roots, forming dense, protective thickets where birds can hide. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-500 cm - **Spread:** 100-400 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Early spring - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Brown Hairstreak butterfly (*Thecla betulae*) — larvae feed on its leaves - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits early spring flowers for nectar - **Shelter:** Whitethroat (*Sylvia communis*) — nests securely within its thorny thickets - **Eaten by:** [Fieldfare](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fieldfare) (*Turdus pilaris*) — eats ripe sloes in winter for energy ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Thorny Stem](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/thorny-stem): Pertaining to plants that have stems covered with sharp, pointed projections for defense. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Be careful of the sharp thorns on the Blackthorn bush! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Blackthorn? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Blackthorn? 100-500 cm ### How wide does Blackthorn spread? 100-400 cm ### How big are the flowers on Blackthorn? 1-1.5 cm ### When does Blackthorn bloom? Early spring ### Is Blackthorn edible? Yes ### Is Blackthorn toxic? Mild ### What is Blackthorn's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Naturpark Insel Usedom](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/usedom-island-nature-park) — Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, DE · Park - [Naturpark Habichtswald](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-habichtswald) — Hessen, DE · Park - [Botanischer Obstgarten Heilbronn](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/botanischer-obstgarten-heilbronn) — Baden-Württemberg, DE · Park - [Hermann-Löns-Park (Hannover)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hermann-lons-park-hannover) — Niedersachsen, DE · Park [View all places to see Blackthorn](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/blackthorn) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Blackthorn: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blackthorn)