I think that this is the first time that I have actually written something
to the list, so hello, from the land of lurkers...

I was wondering about a source of Prunus Spinosa (Blackthorn, Sloe) seeds
or seedlings or nursery plants in the United States, in particular in the
Charlottesville, VA area.

I have not been able to find a source online, and nurseries that I have
contacted don't seem to have a source either.

Robert Kieffer.

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Robert,
I have also searched for sloe in North American nurseries. First of all -- I think it is dificult to grow from seed. I have tried this, with some seed I brought to Alaska from fruit of a Prunus Spinoza that grows in the Botanical Gardens in Montreal, Canada. I had no success.
A few nurseries list Sloe as Prunus americanus and sell starter cuttings. I am about to try this. P. americanus is very similar to P. spinoza, and is, I believe, the tree that American gin makers use to flavor sloe gin.
Please let me know if you have any success finding P. spinoza in America -- and I will keep you posted on my searching.

If ever there was a non native that should not be introduced then this is
certainly one of them. Most farmers in the UK see it as a pernicious woody
weed. It suckers underground for many yards and once established is the
British equivalent of an invasive bamboo! Except the impenetrable tangles
have thorns! Its only redeeming factors are the pretty small white flowers
and small black fruit.

It is very difficult to find any in nature that are possible to collect for
bonsai, without air layering, as the "roots" are usually at right angles and
several yards away.

I would reccomend that you try Prunus mume. It can be grown from seed or
bought in nurseries, has similar leaves, can develop into a larger specimen
eventually, has much craggier bark and comes in a variety of flower forms.

Cheers

Kev Bailey
North Wales, UK, Zone 9

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Kev Bailey wrote:
If ever there was a non native that should not be introduced then this
is certainly one of them. Most farmers in the UK see it as a pernicious
woody weed. It suckers underground for many yards and once established
is the British equivalent of an invasive bamboo! Except the impenetrable
tangles have thorns! Its only redeeming factors are the pretty small
white flowers and small black fruit.


There are any number of almost identical (to sloe) wild
plums that grow thoughout the USA. Why on earth anyone
would want to introduce another -- particularly one that is
likely to be invasive -- is beyond me. Use what we have
rather than copying someone else.

Look for:

Prunus alleghaniensis (Allegheny SLOE -- HINT!) - NE USA to
West Virginia.

Prunus munsoniana - Mid Atlantic States, piedmont and
coastal plain

Prunus hortulana - SE US to N. Georgia.

Prunus americana - much of the US

Prunus besseyi - a plum/cherry with gorgeous leaves and nice
flowers. Western US.

Prunus caroliniana - eastern US, larger than the others.

Prunus maritima - Northeastern US near the coast

Prunus nigra - Midwest USA and Canada. Leaves may be a bit
large, but like other Prunus should reduce.

Prunus virginiana - Eastern US and Canada. Marginal bonsai
candidate

Prunus alabamensis - SE US

Prunus angustifolia - Eastern and SE US one of the most
common southern trees/shrubs. Lovely Blooms in EARLY spring.
Ideal bonsai candidate.

Prunus umbellata - Eastern and SE US. The Hog Plum (AKA
Black SLOE) also blooms early. Another excellent candidate.

Prunus emarginata - NW US to high mountains in AZ and NM

Prunus ilicifolia - Far southern Calif. and Baja Calif on
coast. Small spiny leaves. Sounds like an excellent candidate.

Prunus mexicana - SE US to TX and Mexico

Prunus subcordata - N. Calif. SW Oregon in mountains.

To the best of my knowledge I have never seen any of these
western trees, but they're all described as having small
leaves and nice flowers.


So try one of these before you even think about introducing
ANOTHER pest plant into North America.

If you can't find these in the wild, most states have a
native plant society (there's a native plant society
website, somewhere that lists them all.) whose members could
tell you where to find them and/or what nurseries might
carry them.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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