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 salicina Prunus salicina Prunus salicina (syn. "Prunus triflora" or "Prunus thibetica"), commonly called the Japanese plum or Chinese plum, is a small deciduous tree native to China. It is now also grown in fruit orchards in Korea, Japan, the United States, and Australia. "Prunus salicina" should not be confused with the "Prunus mume", a related species of plum also grown in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Another tree, "Prunus japonica", is also a separate species despite having a Latin name similar to "Prunus salicina"'s common name. Plant breeder Luther Burbank devoted a lot of work to hybridizing this species with the