Trees of Western Scotland

## Description

*A beautiful botany book with full-leaf watercolour illustrations, describing all the trees to be found in the Western regions of Scotland.*

## Table of Contents

	* Field maple (*Acer campestre*)
2. *Alnus*
	* Common Alder, aka European Alder, Black Alder (*Alnus glutinosa*)
3. *Betula*
	* Silver birch (*Betula pendula*)
	* Downy birch (*Betula pubescens*)
4. *Carpinus*
	* Hornbeam (*Carpiunus betulus*)
5. *Corylus*
	* Hazel (*Corylus avellana*)
6. *Fagus*
	* Beech (*Fagus sylvatica*)
7. *Fraxinus*
	* Ash, aka European Ash, Common Ash (*Fraxinus excelsior*)
8. *Ilex*
	* Holly (*Ilex aquifolium*)
9. *Malus*
	* Apple (*Malus pumila*)
	* Crabapple (*Malus sylvestris*)
10. *Pinus*
	* Scots pine (*Pinus sylvestris*)

12. *Prunus*
* Gean (*Prunus avium*)
* Bird cherry (*Prunus padus*)
* Blackthorn, aka sloe (*Prunus spinosa)*

13. *Salix*
* White willow (*Salix alba*)
* Eared Willow (*Salix aurita*)
* Goat willow, aka Sallow willow or Pussy willow (*Salix caprea*)
* Grey Willow (*Salix cinerea*)
* Crack willow (*Salix fragilis*)
* Almond Willow (*Salix triandra*)
* Bay-leaved Willow (*Salix pentandra*)
* Purple Osier (*Salix purpurea*)
* Osier willow (*Salix viminalis*)

14. *Sorbus*
* Rowan (S*orbus aucuparia*)
* Whitebeam (*Sorbus intermedia*)

15. *Taxus*
* Yew, aka English Yew (*Taxus baccata*)

16. *Quercus*
* Sessile oak (*Quercus petraea*)
* Common oak (*Quercus robur*)

17. *Ulmus*
* Wych elm (*Ulmus glabra*)

## Excerpt

Blackthorn, also known as 'sloe' or 'draighionn' in Scots Gaelic is a small deciduous tree native to Europe and western Asia. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It grows best in moist, well drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. It can be found naturally in scrub, copses and woodlands, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. Appearance-wise, it is a spiny, shrubby tree with black-purple twigs and small, narrow leaves. In wintertime, it can be identified by the black, spiny twigs with leaf buds along the spines.

**Common name:** blackthorn, sloe

**Scientific name:** *Prunus spinosa*

**Family:** Rosaceae

**Provenance:** native

#### **Appearance:**

Spiny and densely branched, mature trees can grow to a height of around 6-7 metres, and live for up to 100 years. The dark brown bark is smooth, and twigs form straight side shoots, which develop into thorns.

**Leaves:** slightly wrinkled, oval, toothed, pointed at the tip and tapered at the base.

**Flowers:** Hermaphroditic. White flowers appear on short stalks before the leaves in March and April, either singularly or in pairs.

**Fruits:** Once pollinated by insects, the flowers develop into blue-black fruits measuring 1 cm across.

#### **Uses:**

* The timber is hard-wearing and tough, light yellow with a brown heartwood.
* Culturally, blackthorn wood has been used to make walking or riding sticks, and was the traditional wood for Irish *shillelaghs*, a type of weapon.
* It has long been associated with British witchcraft, and the wands and staffs of magicians within the region are often made of this material, in part due to the woods' strong properties.
* It burns well, and is often used as firewood.
* Blackthorn is used as a hedging shrub, particularly in wildlife gardens.
* The sloes are used for wine making and preserves, and, most commonly, flavouring gin. The sloes are said to have astringent and medicinal properties.