NEN Gallery

Blackthorn is native to the British Isles. It rarely forms a tree and is more usually seen as a tangled mass in hedgerows. It is a spiny ridged plant of the rose family and plum genus. It grows (usually between 1m and 4m high) in hedgerows, scrub and wood borders. It flowers April - May, the flowers are similar to those of hawthorn but appear earlier and before the leaves in dense clusters. The flowers are small (about 1 - 1.5cm across) and white. They contrast strongly with the dark thorny shoots. The leaves are also relatively small (2 - 4 cm), oval and finely toothed. In late summer it produces blue-black globular fruits. Pictured at the Felmersham, Bedfordshire April 14th 2006.