Prunus spinosa the British Army, blackthorn sticks are carried by commissioned officers of the Royal Irish Regiment; this is a tradition also in Irish regiments in some Commonwealth countries. The leaves resemble tea leaves, and were used as an adulterant of tea. Shlomo Yitzhaki, a Talmudist and Tanakh commentator of the High Middle Ages, writes that the sap (or gum) of "P. spinosa" (which he refers to as the ) was used as an ingredient in the making of some inks used for manuscripts. The fruit stones have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Evidence of the early use of sloes by
Prunus napaulensis conspecific. Prunus napaulensis Prunus napaulensis is a species of bird cherry native to the eastern foothills of the Himalayas, including Nepal, Myanmar and China. A tree, it can reach 27m and prefers to grow between 1800 and 3000m above sea level. The fruit is edible, and it is cultivated for its fruit in Assam (and presumably elsewhere). Its wood is used locally for making furniture. It goes by many common names across its range, including jangali aru and arupate (Nepalese), arupaty (Bengali), sohiong (Khasi), sajong (Assamese) and 粗梗稠李 "crude stalk thick plum" (Chinese). "Prunus bracteopadus" is a very similar species,