Prunus spinosa insect-pollinated. The fruit, called a "sloe", is a drupe in diameter, black with a purple-blue waxy bloom, ripening in autumn and harvested – traditionally, at least in the UK – in October or November after the first frosts. Sloes are thin-fleshed, with a very strongly astringent flavour when fresh. "Prunus spinosa" is frequently confused with the related "P. cerasifera" (cherry plum), particularly in early spring when the latter starts flowering somewhat earlier than "P. spinosa". They can be distinguished by flower colour, creamy white in "P. spinosa", pure white in "P. cerasifera". They can also be distinguished in winter by
Prunus microcarpa Prunus microcarpa Prunus microcarpa (small-fruited cherry, Arabic name: كرز صغير الثمر ) is a species of "Prunus" native to Western Asia and the Caucasus. "Prunus microcarpa" is a deciduous bushy shrub with rigid branchlets. Its glabrous leaves are ovate to elliptic. "Prunus microcarpa" produces white to pale pink hermaphrodite flowers in April. The flowers are solitary or in pairs and are 1 cm across. Its 1 cm-long fruit is ovoid and turns yellow to orange, red or black when ripe and may be toxic if consumed excessively. The shrub's fruit can be used to obtain a dark grey to green