Blackthorn

This shrub grows wild in Europe and is a popular choice for bird-friendly hedges or hedgerows. Its early and beautiful white flowers (edible!) are the harbinger of blue berries (15 mm) with a dull bloom. The berries are quite bitter, but become somewhat sweeter after the first night frost. Do not eat excessively bitter fruits raw. Preserving them as jam or juice is very popular, and in France, they are pickled like olives. You can make medicinal tea from the dried fruits. Many more medicinal applications of this useful shrub are known; consult the internet, for example, the Plants For A Future website. The shrubs prefer a spot in sun or partial shade. The shrubs produce many roots, so give them space or restrict their growing area, ideal for stabilizing a slope. Cultivation in a large container is very possible. The name: "slee" means that it makes the teeth rough, which happens if eaten raw too early; the older branches grow into a thorn, together forming "sleedoorn" (blackthorn).

Names:
Latin: Prunus spinosa
Dutch: Sleedoorn
Also known as: Sleepruim
English: Sloe, Blackthorn