Black thorn

Black thorn or Prunus spinosa: The producer of Sloe berries. The long horizontal thorns on Blackthorn are actualy modified stems. These stems drop their leaves in the summer to create prickly barriers along field margins - providing much protection to hedge dwelling wildlife. Interestingly, the reason for their dark colouring is their high alkaloid content, which is also thought to be responsible for the severe irritation (and in some cases, plant thorn athritus) that unfolds if pricked. Jesus's crown of thorns was thought to be made of black thorn, and because of this it has always been associated with death and bad luck. Blackthorns contribution to supporting local biodiversity amongst arable land as a habitat corridor makes it far from being a bad Omen in the UK though...

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