Shillelagh (club) Shillelagh (club) A shillelagh ( or ; , "thonged willow") or blackthorn stick is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore. Shillelaghs are traditionally made from blackthorn (sloe) wood ("Prunus spinosa") or oak. Wood from the root was prized as it was less prone to crack or break during use. The wood would be smeared with butter or lard, and placed up a chimney to cure, giving the shillelagh its typical black shiny appearance. Another method was
Tetradymia spinosa flower heads which are each enveloped in four to six woolly phyllaries. Each head contains up to 8 tubular yellow flowers up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a densely hairy achene which may be nearly 2 centimeters long, including its pappus of long bristles. Tetradymia spinosa Tetradymia spinosa is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name shortspine horsebrush. It is native to the western United States, especially the basins and plateaus west of the Rocky Mountains. It grows in sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub habitat, often among shadscale in alkaline areas such