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 virginiana the chokecherry the official fruit of the state of North Dakota, in part because its remains have been found at more archeological sites in the Dakotas than anywhere else. Chokecherry is also used to craft wine in the western United States mainly in the Dakotas and Utah as well as in Manitoba, Canada. Prunus virginiana Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry and western chokecherry (also black chokecherry for "P. virginiana" var. "demissa"), is a species of bird cherry ("Prunus" subgenus "Padus") native to North America; the natural historic range of "P. virginiana" includes most of Canada (including