A Ranger writes

Countryside Ranger Richard English shares his knowledge of blackthorn and sloes.

Here we go – it’s springtime! A time of joy, renewal and all that stuff. Whilst the season can sometimes seem to drag its feet a little, there are some plants out there that are getting into the swing of things this month.

Blackthorn is a member of the rose family (the Rosaceae, in scientific terms) and is often found in hedgerows alongside its relative hawthorn. In this heavily managed form, it usually appears as a dense spiny shrub, but if left to its own devices it can grow up to about seven or eight metres. Much like other early-flowering tree species, such as hazel or elm, the flowers appear before the leaves. This can make the blackthorn relatively easy to spot in a mixed hedge in spring. During March hawthorn (and other species) will be greening up, as the leaves gradually open. However, blackthorn will be devoid of leaves but covered in blossom, making it stand out from the crowd.

The flowers themselves vary between a bright snow-white and a more subtle creamy-white (I’m starting to sound like a paint chart now) and have the classic five-petalled form of the rose family. There are very few wild roses that show variation from this form, although the native wildflower tormentil does exhibit only four petals.

Later in the year blackthorn produces fruits known as sloes, which, as many of you will know, can be used to make sloe gin. We can argue the merits of this beverage (there are better uses of gin in my opinion), but more important is the blackthorn’s value to wildlife. The flowers provide nectar and pollen for early flying bees and butterflies, while the buds and leaves are food for a number of butterfly and moth caterpillars. The dense, thorny branches provide excellent cover for nesting birds, who will also feed on the sloes later in the year.

The sloes are technically a form of fruit known as a drupe. This consists of a soft, fleshy outer layer encasing a hard inner stone/pip, which in turn contains the seed. Drupes, unlike some fruit, do not split open to release the seed; instead, they commonly rely on being eaten by wild animals. The seed is either dropped during eating, or passes through the animal’s digestive tract and is dispersed in their droppings.

In folklore, blackthorn was used to make witches’ wands and wizards’ staffs. Unsurprisingly, it became viewed as a bit sinister or downright evil. In Scotland, it was linked to war and mortality, and was associated with the Cailleach – the Queen of Winter, or Crone of Death. The plant has a long tradition of culinary and medicinal use. In addition to sloe gin, the fruit has been used to flavour various alcoholic beverages across Europe and in jams and chutneys. Herbalists used sloes to treat a wide range of conditions and sloes were also said to be good as a purgative for “fluxes of the belly”. It’s probably better not to ask and definitely best not to eat many raw, particularly as the leaves and stones contain hydrogen cyanide. For now, simply enjoy the sight of blackthorn blossoms and other signs of spring.

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