[24] Straight blackthorn stems have traditionally been made into walking sticks or clubs (known in Ireland as a shillelagh). The white blossom аppeаrs before the leаves. It is a prickly shrub with long thorns that can cause septic flesh wounds. It is often referred to as the gentle bush, lone bush or thorn, as it is disrespectful to mention the fairies by name. Botanical name: Prunus spinosa Family: Prunus Ogham: Straif Scots Gaelic: Àirneag, Irish Gaelic: Draighean Welsh: Draenen ddu French: Prunelliers. In times gone by, everyone would had have some sort of blackthorn stick in Ireland. Check out the Ireland Calling YouTube Channel for more great videos like these. Black-barked and with vicious thorns, the Blackthorn forms dense thickets when given the opportunity to spread. The Blackthorn Tree Become a Patron! It produces bitter sweet berries (sloes) that ripen after the first frost. In Irish tales, heroes were aided by the Blackthorn tree – if they threw a twig of Blackthorn after them, it would take root and form an impenetrable hedge or woods, thwarting the pursuing giant. It produces white, five-petalled blossom in early spring. Sloes preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi. As with other bushes, such as the hawthorn, they help to provide shelter for birds. Blackthorn tree lasts up to 100 years and was traditionally used for making walking sticks or shillelaghs in Ireland (Photo: National Trust) Blackthorn. [11] Other cognate forms are Frisian and Middle Low German[a] slē, Middle Dutch slee, slie, sleeu; Modern Dutch slee; Modern Low German slee/slē, slī;[11][12] Danish slåen.[11]. Compare Old Slavic, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Ukrainian and Russian слива (sliva, Ukr. With blackthorn, it is flowers before leaves, but with the hawthorn, it is leaves before flowers. For other uses, see, "Prunelle" redirects here. The shrub, with its long, sharp thorns, is traditionally used in Britain and other parts of northern Europe to make a cattle-proof hedge. Its closest modern equivalent would be the letter z. [10], The word commonly used for the fruit, "sloe", comes from Old English slāh, cognate with Old High German slēha, slēwa, and Modern German Schlehe. (45-60 cm) 24-36 in. The white flowers open early, often before the leaves appear. They were used for a walking aid, a pointing tool, poking, disciplining children, and even for herding cows from one field to another. [15][16][17] In rural Britain a liqueur, sloe gin, is made by infusing gin with sloes and sugar. slyva),[12][11] West Slavic / Polish śliwa; plum of any species, including sloe śliwa tarnina—root present in other Slavic languages, e.g. When these wither, they are replaced with sloes - dark blue-purple fruit, around a centimetre wide. Since the plant is hardy, and grows in a wide range of conditions, it is used as a rootstock for many other species of plum, as well as some other fruit species. Prunus spinosa is a large deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall, with blackish bark and dense, stiff, spiny branches. Dead blackthorn wood provides food for the caterpillars of the concealer moth Esperia oliviella. In Italy, the infusion of spirit with the fruits and sugar produces a liqueur called bargnolino (or sometimes prunella). The sticks on the right were made by ' Olde Shillelagh Stick Makers & B & B ' in County Wicklow. 4 out of 5 stars (18) $ 6.99. Sun to Partial Shade. It was said that witches used thorny blackthorn wands to curse people and had magic walking sticks of blackthorn wood with which to cause trouble. The fruit, called a "sloe", is a drupe10–12 millimetres ( ⁄8– ⁄2 in… At a height of eighteen feet, blackthorn is not a tree of great stature, but its lore stands tall indeed. There is much folklore attached to this plant, the wood of which is used to make the irish shillelagh. Foliage: Deciduous. The names related to 'sloe' come from the common Germanic root slaihwō. [32], Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, "Blackthorn" redirects here. The leaves open after the flowers. It is the tree of Samhain. This effect can be reproduced by freezing harvested sloes.[14]. The logo of the Boston Celtics, for example, portrays a leprechaun leaning on a shillelagh. The National Folklore Collection of Ireland is a rich archive of oral folk stories, in both Irish and English languages, gathered by the Irish Folklore Commission. The leaves resemble tea leaves, and were used as an adulterant of tea. The berries, leaves and bark of the tree are said to stimulate metabolism, clean the blood, heal stomach upsets and disperse toxins from the body. A cold spring was traditionally known as "a blackthorn winter." Blackthorn bushes are very important for wildlife. The range of trees we offer has been carefully chosen for their hardy nature, suitability for the Irish climate, and for their ease of planting, care and maintenance. Prunus spinosa is a large deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall, with blackish bark and dense, stiff, spiny branches. [25] In the British Army, blackthorn sticks are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment; this is a tradition also in Irish regiments in some Commonwealth countries. Known as Straif ancient Ireland, it’s thought to be the origin of the word ‘strife’. (60-90 cm) 36-48 in. Infusions of the dried fruit are said to have a beneficial effect on the heart when taken regularly over long periods. It is resistant to gales and salt laden winds. The leaves are oval, 2–4.5 centimetres (0.79–1.77 in) long and 1.2–2 centimetres (0.47–0.79 in) broad, with a serrated margin. Blackthorn Walking Sticks - Ireland's Largest Authentic Shillelagh and Blackthorn Walking Stick Maker , all orders made over Christmas will ship first week of Jan 2021 ... 43 1/2 inch Rowan Tree Walking Stick - Irish Mountain Ash - Shillelagh- hand carved- rustic amazing handle $143.00. Blаckthorn is one of the first shrubs to burst into flower in Mаrch. Sloes are thin-fleshed, with a very strongly astringent flavour when fresh. The blackthorn is the tree of transformation, changing all things it touches. So it is a tree of birth – an appropriate tree to symbolise the first level of Druid working, when we are born into this new way of … https://ireland-calling.com/celtic-mythology-alder-tree/, Apple – healing, youthfulness and rebirth, Blackthorn – sinister tree of the dark side, Holly – guards against spirits and witchcraft, Ivy – symbol of strength and determination, The Celtic Tree Calendar – following the lunar cycle, Ogham alphabet named after Irish words for trees. Its ogham name is Straif, Chieftain tree. The flowers are about 1.5 centimetres (1⁄2 in) in diameter, with five creamy-white petals; they are produced shortly before the leaves in early spring,[5] and are hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. They’re on display around the same time and are both valuable to wildlife, supporting hundreds of insect species. Irish and Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore and Irish fairy tales tales of Ireland A strange guardian of old places. Blackthorn makes an excellent fire wood that burns slowly with a good heat and little smoke. In 1670, Major Thomas Weir of Edinburgh was garrotted and burned for witchcraft along with his blackthorn walking stick. The buds are hairy, and the leaf scar below the bud looks like a face sucking a lemon! One portrayal of the Cailleach, of which there are many, is of a blue veiled old woman with a raven perched on one shoulder and a blackthorn staff in hand which she uses to create mountains, lakes and valleys and also bring about snow storms and rough weather. For the French liqueur, see. [16] Early human use of sloes as food is evidenced in the case of a 5,300-year-old human mummy (nick-named Ötzi), discovered in the Ötztal Alps along the Austrian-Italian border in 1991: a sloe was found near the remains, evidently with the intent to eat it before the man died. Blackthorn twigs are not shiny, with thorns usually more than 2cm long and held at right angles. They can also be distinguished in winter by the shrubbier habit with stiffer, wider-angled branches of P. spinosa; in summer by the relatively narrower leaves of P. spinosa, more than twice as long as broad;[3][8] and in autumn by the colour of the fruit skin purplish black in P. spinosa and yellow or red in P. Blackthorn is an American rock band formed in Pennsylvania in 1993. As a general rule use 3 plants per metre for a single row. Bare Root Blackthorn Hedging Plants For Sale Online in Ireland. It is native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. The Blackthorn does not seem to have any ancient European mythology connected to it aside from that of Ireland and Britain which is unusual as the tree is also native to Continental Europe and Western Asia. In France a similar liqueur called épine or épinette or troussepinette is made from the young shoots in spring. It is the first tree in the Ogham Cipher, and as such represents the number one. Who but I is both the tree and the lightning striking it? We send our plants via courier or with our own vans. The wood of the blackthorn is traditionally used in Ireland to make shillelaghs, a walking stick-shaped club, originally used as a weapon to settle a score and now a symbol of heritage among many people of Irish descent throughout the world. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It is much used as a hedging plant, forming an impenetrable thicket, further protected by the sharp spiny thorns. [16][24], Rashi, a Talmudist and Tanakh commentator of the High Middle Ages, writes that the sap (or gum) of P. spinosa (which he refers to as the prunellier) was used as an ingredient in the making of some inks used for manuscripts. 10 Somerset Blackthorn Tree Thorn's for Protective Spellwork or Charms - Pagan, Wicca, Witchcraft Mythospheria. The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue.[13]. As it is considered a fairy tree, it is believed to be extremely bad luck to cut one down, remove branches, or even hang things upon it (except at Beltane when this was customary) in case you disturb the little folk. Foliage Color: Unknown - Tell us. In Ireland it was customarily used to make shillelaghs (a kind of club once used in sport). Kids and woman as well as men would have their own sticks. . The white flowers occur before the leaves in what is invariably a bad spell of weather (blackthorn winter). With All You Can Eat Data, 5G in every county and now officially Ireland's fastest mobile network, verified by Ookla, stay connected with Three. Their style of music has come to be called Celtic Rock for the fusion of Irish traditional instruments and music with modern rock. Hi, Sign in to. The Lunantisidhe only leave the tree at Esbats (on a full moon) in order to pay homage to the moon goddess. Cudgels or shorter shillelaghs, anything from 12 - 24 inches, would also be popular to carry. Perhaps it is due to this association that the blackthorn is sometimes known as the dark crone of the woods. Known as Straif ancient Ireland, it’s thought to be the origin of the word ‘strife’. Blackthorn has, perhaps, the most sinister reputation in Celtic tree lore. The common name "blackthorn" is due to the thorny nature of the shrub, and possibly its very dark bark: it has a much darker bark than the white-thorn (hawthorn), to which it is contrasted. The fruits are used to make sloe gin in Britain and patxaran in Basque regions. Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a berry producing tree native to Great Britain and throughout most of Europe, from Scandinavia south and east to the Mediterranean, Siberia and Iran.With such an extensive habitat, there must be some innovative uses for blackthorn berries and other interesting tidbits of information about blackthorn plants. Throughout the Northern Ireland countryside, there is a special tree – not one tree, but many, – standing alone, unharmed through generations, guarding its special place. 5 out of 5 stars (1,718) $ 5.95. The sinister crone of the woods, the wishing thorn, there are as many tales told of the blackthorn trees of Ireland as there are spiky thorns on its branches. Blackthorn has, perhaps, the most sinister reputation in Celtic tree lore. The tree grows naturally in scrub, copses and woodland, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. [26], The fruit stones have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Blackthorn, hawthorn and rowan: these three trees hold a special place in British hearts and imaginations. [9], The specific name spinosa is a Latin term indicating the pointed and thornlike spur shoots characteristic of this species. Augustine Henry Memorial Lecture, 11th March,1999, Royal Dublin Society. 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