Witches and faeries give blackthorn a prickly name in the north
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Beautiful Botanicals by Joanne Howdle
Early to blossom, blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a deciduous shrub or small tree which has clouds of snowy-white flowers in early spring.
Blackthorn belongs to the same genus (Prunus) as almond, cherry and plum trees. The specific epithet spinosa refers to the sharp spines or thorns that are characteristic of this botanical, which is best known for its rich, inky, dark and waxy berries that are used to make a favourite winter tipple – sloe gin.
Blackthorn is widespread across temperate Europe and also occurs in the Near East and Northern Africa. It is also naturalised in New Zealand, and eastern North America. Blackthorn often grows in hedgerows or thickets. Mature blackthorn shrubs can grow to a height of around 6-7m and live for up to 100 years.
It is an important plant for wildlife, its spring flowers providing nectar for early emerging insects. The foliage of this botanical is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, while birds nest among its dense, thorny thickets, eating caterpillars and other insects from the leaves, and feasting on its fruit in the autumn.
In the past, Highlanders believed that blackthorn was associated with evil spirits. It is said that witches' wands and staffs were made using blackthorn wood and children stolen by the faerie folk were said to have been left under blackthorn shrubs and would grow up to become changelings.
Pricking oneself on a thorn of this botanical was thought to be able to bestow a curse.
Blackthorn wood is very hard and in the past was often used to make the teeth of agricultural implements. Suitable branches were used for making walking sticks and were highly valued for this purpose because of their twisted and interesting shapes.
The bark, leaves and fruits were often used in the Highlands to make dye for clothes and food. The juice from blackthorn bark was used to produce a bright red dye, while the leaves of the shrub produced a green dye. With the addition of vitriol or copperas, the juice from the bark and fruit was used to make blue and black dyes and an excellent ink.
Traditionally, blackthorn flowers and fruit were used in a wealth of remedies including tonics and syrups that ‘cleansed the blood’, aided digestive complaints and eased rheumatism.
Blackthorn fruits, known as sloe berries or sloes, made into a jelly was a popular treatment in Scotland for throat problems, while blackthorn flowers were used as a laxative or infused and then applied to the skin to kill off scabies. Today, the pulp of ripened sloe berries is combined with other ingredients to make commercially available face masks said to maintain skin elasticity for younger looking skin.
Sloe berries are astringent when fresh and are therefore not eaten in the same way as those of many other Prunus species (such as cherries and plums). The archaeological remains of sloes have been found on Neolithic dwelling sites and traditionally in Scotland sloe berries were used to make jellies and preserves and as a flavouring for gin, whisky and other drinks.
In the 1820s, sloe berries were often used to adulterate port wine and when tea was a very expensive product, the young leaves of blackthorn were dried and used as a replacement for, or addition to, the more expensive tea.
In modern gin manufacture, sloes are best picked after a frost, as this reduces the tannin content of the fruit. When distilled, sloe berries add a complexity to the gin, imparting a sweet yet tart taste with earthy undertones.
- Joanne Howdle is tour and events co-ordinator at the multi-award-winning Dunnet Bay Distillers.
