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
Prunus darvasica Prunus darvasica Prunus darvasica, the Darvaz plum, is rare plant endemic to Tajikistan. It is found in the Tajik portion of the Pamir Mountains, the Darvoz Range. There, the plants grow as shrubs 1.5-2.5m tall. The fruit are small (2cm) but otherwise typical plums, nearly black, with a blue waxy coat. The pit is brown. The fruit is edible and can be made into jam or compote. It is suspected that "P. darvasica" is of hybrid origin, as it is a tetraploid with 48 (or 32, depending on the source) chromosomes, possibly the result of "P. domestica" × ("P. prostrata"