Prunus spinosa man is found in the famous case of a 5,300-year-old human mummy discovered in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps along the Austrian-Italian border (nick-named Ötzi): among the stomach contents were sloes. A "sloe-thorn worm" used as fishing bait is mentioned in the 15th-century work, "The Treatyse of Fishing with an Angle", by Juliana Berners. The flowering of the blackthorn may have been associated with the ancient Celtic celebration of Imbolc. Prunus spinosa Prunus spinosa, called blackthorn or sloe, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest
Prunus serrulata of the world. Numerous cultivars have been selected, many of them with double flowers with the stamens replaced by additional petals. In cultivation in Europe and North America, it is usually grafted on to "Prunus avium" roots; the cultivated forms rarely bear fruit. It is viewed as part of the Japanese custom of Hanami. There are several varieties: Some important cultivars include: Prunus serrulata Prunus serrulata or Japanese cherry, also called hill cherry, oriental cherry or East Asian cherry, is a species of cherry native to China, Japan, Korea and India, and is used for its spring cherry blossom displays