Skip to content

Home
How To
Native Plants

Native Plant Search

Home
How To
Native Plants

Native Plant Search

Prunus spinosa

Shrub

HomeShrubPrunus spinosa

Hedgerows and woods, usually in sunny positions, on all soils except acid peats.

Family: Rosaceae
Height: 3 m / 10 ft
Sun, Semi-shade
Light, Medium and Heavy Soil
Moist

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 3 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 2 of 5
Other Uses: 4 of 5

Native Habitat

Sloe - Blackthorn Prunus spinosa native habitat is Hedgerows and woods, usually in sunny positions, on all soils except acid peats.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. Exceedingly astringent, it is normally cooked but once the fruit has been frosted it loses some of its astringency and some people find they can enjoy it raw. The fruit is more usually used in jellies, syrups, conserves etc and as a flavouring for sloe gin and other liqueurs. Some fruits that we ate in December were fairly pleasant raw. In France the unripe fruit is pickled like an olive. The fruit is about 15mm in diameter and contains one large seed. Seed - raw or cooked. Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter - see the notes above on toxicity. The leaves are used as a tea substitute. The dried fruits can be added to herbal teas. The flowers are edible and can be crystallised or sugared.

Copyright © 2026 - Plants For A Future