Sloe

Description

Prunus spinosa is a large deciduousshrub or small tree growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall, with blackish bark and dense, stiff, spiny branches. The leaves are oval, 2–4.5 centimetres (3⁄4–1+3⁄4 inches) long and 1.2–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) broad, with a serrated margin. The flowers are about 1.5 cm (1⁄2 in) in diameter, with five creamy-white petals; they are produced shortly before the leaves in early spring, and are hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. The fruit, called a "sloe", is a single-seeded drupe10–12 millimetres (3⁄8–1⁄2 in) in diameter, black with a purple-blue waxy bloom, ripening in late autumn. In the United Kingdom, they are traditionally harvested in October or November, after the first frosts, as this makes the skin softer and easier to process for the purposes of making sloe gin. Sloes are thin-fleshed, with a very strongly astringent flavour when fresh. Its fruit persists for an average of 36.7 days. The fruit averages 77.6% water, and their dry weight includes 10.6% carbohydrates and 0.6% lipids.