Prunus spinosa Britain, and in Germany and other central European countries. Sloes can also be made into jam, chutney, and used in fruit pies. Sloes preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese "umeboshi". The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue. Blackthorn makes an excellent fire wood that burns slowly with a good heat and little smoke. The wood takes a fine polish and is used for tool handles and canes. Straight blackthorn stems have traditionally been made into walking sticks or clubs (known in Ireland as a shillelagh). In
Prunus tangutica Prunus tangutica Prunus tangutica () is a species of wild peach native to China. Based on its fruit traits it had been considered a wild almond, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that it is more closely related to "Prunus persica", the cultivated peach, with its closest relative being "Prunus mongolica". It is a very dense spiny shrub or shrubby tree, usually 1 to 2.5m tall but reaching 4m, preferring to grow on sunny slopes and alongside streams at 1500 to 2600m, but found as high as 3400m. Its flower petals are a pale pink, and its velutinous (velvety)