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 persica × Prunus americana tree is included in the Purdue University book "Fruit Breeding", Volume 1. The hybrid at Broadus, Montana has never fruited as the flowerbuds have all winterkilled. The hybrid has bloomed in Pennsylvania and the blooms are sterile. As of 2013, the hybrid near Broadus is still alive. Prunus persica × Prunus americana Prunus persica" × "Prunus americana is the hybrid between the peach "Prunus persica" (often a nectarine) and the wild American plum "Prunus americana". Hybrids were obtained in the 1940s at the University of Minnesota, and have been used in subsequent breeding, such as in the parentage of a