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 mira their native range, for their fruit (which is often pickled), their seeds (as a substitute for almonds), and for their seed oil, which is used for cooking and hair oil. The rootstocks are used for almonds and for dwarfing peach trees, and are resistant to powdery mildew. Prunus mira Prunus mira, the smooth stone peach, smooth-pit peach or Tibetan peach, and locally called Behmi, Behimi or Tirul, is a species of "Prunus" native to the foothills of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, at elevations typically between 2600 and 3000m, but ranging from 2000 to 4000m. "Prunus mira" grows to