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Identify please.

wiskers2245wiskers2245 south shieldsPosts: 19
in Plants
Can anyone identify this bush for me? It's outside my work place but no one knows what it is.

Posts

  • FireFire LondonPosts: 10,886
    Does it have spikes?
  • wiskers2245wiskers2245 south shieldsPosts: 19
    no.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 39,308
    It looks like Blackthorn - so , yes, it will have spikes  :D
    The spikes are often tucked away a bit - in the more mature growth. The outer growth can be quite soft. The sloe berries can be used in gin.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • wiskers2245wiskers2245 south shieldsPosts: 19
    Oh, I only looked at the surface of the bush that'll be why I didn't see the spikes then. The berries look like smaller versions of my Opal plums. Can I eat them? as they are?
  • wiskers2245wiskers2245 south shieldsPosts: 19
    Just found them on Google. Thanks for the help Fairygirl.
  • Loraine3Loraine3 Posts: 463
    they are very bitter and are best used to make sloe gin.Ideally they need a frost to soften the skins but can be put in a freezer overnight then used. 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,066
    You can use them to make 'sloe gin' but they are bitter and rock hard.  If they are softer and sweeter, it could be damson but does look like blackthorn.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 39,308
    I wouldn't try it! They're very sour and don't always agree with humans. Some people can eat them but they're  poisonous. 
    If the bush gets regularly pruned, it may not really be producing the thorns it's famed for, as the constant new growth is fairly soft.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 3,208
    edited August 2018
    Fairygirl said:
     they're  poisonous. 

    Fairygirl, 
    Prunus spinosa ...common name Blackthorn ..produces a fruit called sloes.

    According to this site the leaves and stones are poisonous...but not the fresh of the berries.

    This applies to all Prunus.....Almonds, Apricots etc 
    Moral..don't eat the stones.

    http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/wild-food-useful-plants/blackthorn-sloe-prunus-spinosa.htm
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
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