242 



THE BLACKTHORX. 



The leaf is small, of a dark green colo"iu\ slightly 

 downy underneath, especially at the junction of 

 the veins, and in its young state. The flo^Yers 

 are white and conspicuous only from their abund- 

 ance ; as they expand before the leaves, and are 

 consequently unrelieved by any verdure, they are 

 not beautiful. The fruit when ripe is black, and 

 being covered with a delicate bloom, presents, 

 late in the autumn, a more pleasing appearance 

 than the tree can display at any other season. 



It is found throughout Europe, with the ex- 

 ception of the extreme north ; it occurs also in 

 the north of Africa, and many parts of Asia, and 

 has been introduced into America, where it is fre- 

 quently found in hedges perfectly naturalised. 



The Blackthorn is not nearly so valuable for 

 the construction of live-hedges as the Hawthorn, 

 owing, in the first place, to its rambling habits ; 

 and, secondly, to its tendency to send up perpen- 

 dicular branches, which are bare of thorns towards 

 the base. The wood rarely attains a size which 

 \\dll allow it to be applied to any useful purposes 

 as timber ; but the straight stems are extensively 

 used as walking-sticks, which are much admired 

 for their bright colour and numerous knots. The 

 thorny dead branches are also recommended as 

 being well adapted for forming a fence round 

 young trees planted in parks, the sharp and rigid 

 thorns effectually preventing the inroads of cattle. 

 The leaves are used to adulterate tea, for which 

 they form a substitute less liable to detection than, 

 almost any other British plant, possessing a bitter, 

 aroma^tic principle, which, inasmuch as it is to be f 

 attributed to the presence of prussic acid, must 

 render them very unwholesome. The fruit is 



