Thursday 8 March 2018

Spring: What to look out for #3

Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera)

In February and March you may start to see white flowers appearing before leaves on roadside shrubs or small trees.  These could be the flowers of the Cherry Plum or of Blackthorn - the two plants can be difficult to tell apart in early Spring.

To tell Cherry Plum apart from Blackthorn, look to see if fresh new growth is green and that it is without thorns.  You may also see new leaves beginning to appear with some of the flowers (unlike Blackthorn which flowers a little later on bare dark branches).  The flowers develop in late summer into yellow or red edible fruits, whilst sloes,  the fruits of the Blackthorn, develop into blue/black fruits.

Prunus cerasifera in February
 

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