"school was still open but had only 16 pupils. It has since closed. Blackthorn village is on the road between Bicester and Thame. In 1833 an Act of Parliament made the road into a turnpike. The turnpike trust rebuilt Blackthorn Bridge over the River Ray, replacing a wooden structure with the present stone bridge. In about 1910 the Great Western Railway built a new main line linking Ashendon Junction and to complete a new high-speed route between its termini at London Paddington and Birmingham Snow Hill. The line passes within a few hundred yards of Blackthorn and crosses Akeman Street"
"and may be toxic. According to some traditions, a blackberry's deep purple color represents Christ's blood and the crown of thorns was made of brambles, although other thorny plants, such as ""Crataegus"" (hawthorn) and ""Euphorbia milii"" (crown of thorns plant), have been proposed as the material for the crown. Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ""Rubus"" in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ""Rubus"", and hybrids between the subgenera ""Rubus"" and ""Idaeobatus"". The taxonomy of the blackberries has historically been confused because of hybridization and apomixis, so that"
"on account of the legend that the tree was originally the staff of Joseph of Arimathea. Robert Graves, in his book ""The White Goddess"", traces and reinterprets many European legends in which the whitethorn (hawthorn), also called the May-tree, is central. In Celtic lore, the hawthorn plant was used commonly for inscriptions along with yew and apple. It was once said to heal the broken heart. In Ireland, the red fruit is, or was, called the Johnny MacGorey or Magory. Serbian and Croatian folklore notes hawthorn (Serbian глог, Croatian ""glog"") is particularly deadly to vampires, and stakes used for their"
"fruit can cause death in mammals, but is consumed by ants and birds. Rhamnus lycioides Rhamnus lycioides, the black hawthorn, European buckthorn, or Mediterranean buckthorn, is a shrub up to about 1 metre tall in the Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) family. It is found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Europe and northern Africa. Its scientific name ""lycioides"" refers to its resemblance to the botanical genus ""Lycium"". ""Rhamnus lycioides"" is a slow growth shrub adapted to dry Mediterranean climate. It is a deciduous or evergreen shrub of 1.5–3 meters high with a tangled, thorny, and many-branched form. The bark is grayish, and"
"diameter, star-shaped with five greenish-white acute triangular petals, hermaphroditic, and insect-pollinated, flowering in May to June in clusters of two to ten in the leaf axils. The fruit is a small black berry in diameter, ripening from green through red in late summer to dark purple or black in early autumn, containing two or three pale brown seeds. The seeds are primarily dispersed by frugivorous birds, which readily eat the fruit. Alder buckthorn was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as ""Rhamnus frangula"". It was subsequently separated by Philip Miller in 1768 into the genus ""Frangula"" on the"
"The fruit is a sticky, three-lobed capsule about half a centimeter long. Fruits do not have horns, as do some other members of this genus. Ceanothus leucodermis Ceanothus leucodermis, with the common name chaparral whitethorn or chaparral white thorn, is a species of shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. This ""Ceanothus"" is an importance browse for several types of ungulate, such as the mule deer and bighorn sheep, who prefer the new growth and shoots to the older, spiny parts. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain habitat, such as chaparral,"
"the thorns of the blackberry bushesbut have very fine soft spines, much like those of raspberry bushes. The leaves are of a deep green color, coarse and thick, and also like those of the raspberry. The fruit is as large as the largest size blackberry, is of the same shape, with globules similar to that fruit, and the color, when fully ripe, is a 'dark bright red'. It has the combined flavor of both berries, pleasant, mild, vinous, delightful to the taste and peculiar to this fruit alone. It is excellent for the table, eaten raw or cooked, and for"
"with the destruction of a fairy thorn to make way for a production facility. Hawthorn trees are often found beside clootie wells; at these types of holy wells, they are sometimes known as rag trees, for the strips of cloth which are tied to them as part of healing rituals. 'When all fruit fails, welcome haws' was once a common expression in Ireland. According to a medieval legend, the Glastonbury thorn, ""C. monogyna"" 'Biflora', which flowers twice annually, was supposed to have miraculously grown from a walking stick planted by Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury in Somerset, England. The original"
"The fruit is a pair of samaras (winged seeds). The seeds are globose, in diameter, the wing long. The seeds fall from the tree in autumn, where they must be exposed to 90 days of temperatures below to break their coating down. Germination of ""A. saccharum"" is slow, not taking place until the following spring when the soil has warmed and all frost danger is past. It is closely related to the black maple, which is sometimes included in this species, but sometimes separated as ""Acer nigrum"". The western American bigtooth maple (""Acer grandidentatum"") is also treated as a variety"
"Psychotria carronis Psychotria carronis, commonly known as the Black Grape, is a flowering plant in the coffee family. The specific epithet honours William Carron (1823–1876) who collected plants on Lord Howe Island for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. It is a small tree growing to 8 m in height. The stems exhibit prominent ring-like leaf scars. The dark glossy green, oblong-oblanceolate leaves are 80–160 mm long, 30–50 mm wide. The white flowers, 6–8 mm long, occur in cymose inflorescences from November to March. The shiny, fleshy, black fruits are 18–20 mm long and are produced in loose clusters. The species"
"hawthorn, include the various-leaved hawthorn of the Caucasus, which is only very occasionally found in parks and gardens. The fruit of hawthorn, called haws, are edible raw but are commonly made into jellies, jams, and syrups, used to make wine, or to add flavour to brandy. Botanically they are pomes, but they look similar to berries. A haw is small and oblong, similar in size and shape to a small olive or grape, and red when ripe. Haws develop in groups of two or three along smaller branches. They are pulpy and delicate in taste. In this species (""C. monogyna"")"
"grow in bunches at the ends of each thin branch. The fruit is a very dark purple pome up to about a centimeter across. The fruits were a good food source for Native American peoples such as the Cheyenne and Nlaka'pamux. Crataegus douglasii Crataegus douglasii is a North American species of hawthorn known by the common names black hawthorn and Douglas' thornapple. It is named after David Douglas, who collected seed from the plant during his botanical explorations. This thorny shrub is native to northern and western North America, where it grows in varied habitats from forest to scrubland. It"
"and develops a round, fleshy, red fruit that is actually a pome, a fleshy fruit that has an outer thickened layer with a central core that contains seeds located inside a capsule. Some people cook Texas hawthorn fruits into jams and jellies. Also, upon distillation, the Texas hawthorn can be used to make liquors. Mostly, however, birds depend on its fruit for survival through the winter months, and some mammals, such as squirrels, opossums, and raccoons, also savor them. ""Crataegus texana"" is also of special value to native bees. It is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of"
"Britain, and in Germany and other central European countries. Sloes can also be made into jam, chutney, and used in fruit pies. Sloes preserved in vinegar are similar in taste to Japanese ""umeboshi"". The juice of the fruits dyes linen a reddish colour that washes out to a durable pale blue. Blackthorn makes an excellent fire wood that burns slowly with a good heat and little smoke. The wood takes a fine polish and is used for tool handles and canes. Straight blackthorn stems have traditionally been made into walking sticks or clubs (known in Ireland as a shillelagh). In"
"or twos on short stalks from September to October. The fruit is a purple berry, with a hooked style at the top. 9 to 14 seeds grow within the sticky pulp. The globular fruit is 5 to 7 mm in diameter and it matures from March to August. Regeneration is from cuttings or fresh seeds. Pittosporum lancifolium Pittosporum lancifolium, known as the narrow-leaved orange thorn or sticky orange thorn, is a shrub or tree growing in eastern Australia. Often found at altitudes above 500 metres above sea level; from Mallanganee National Park in New South Wales in the south to"
"The fruit is a fleshy white berry-like drupe about a centimeter wide which contains two seeds. The plant sometimes reproduces via seed but it is primarily vegetative, reproducing by sprouting from its spreading rhizome. Birds disperse the seeds after they eat the fruit. This shrub is an important food source for a number of animals, including bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, and grizzly bears. Livestock such as cattle and sheep readily browse it. Many birds and small mammals use it for food and cover. Pocket gophers dig burrows underneath it during the winter. The fruit and shrub itself are poisonous to"
"fruits are small pomes that vary in colour, usually a shade of red. Most wild varieties of the tree are heavily armed in sharp thorns several centimeters long. This species is a popular ornamental tree, especially var. ""inermis"", which lacks thorns. Many other wild forms would be very suitable for landscaping if better known, and yellow-fruited forms exist. Crataegus crus-galli Crataegus crus-galli is a species of hawthorn known by the common names cockspur hawthorn and cockspur thorn. It is native to eastern North America from Ontario to Texas to Florida, and it is widely used in horticulture. This is a"
"mapped in the F Locus, on LG7, whereas thorns/hornlessness was mapped on LG4. Better understanding of the genetics is useful for genetic screening of cross-breds, and for genetic engineering purposes. Folklore in the United Kingdom tells that blackberries should not be picked after Old Michaelmas Day (11 October) as the devil (or a Púca) has made them unfit to eat by stepping, spitting or fouling on them. There is some value in this legend as autumn's wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various molds such as ""Botryotinia"" which give the fruit an unpleasant look"
"Cryptocarya gregsonii Cryptocarya gregsonii, commonly known as native blackbutt, black plum or laurel, is a flowering plant in the laurel family. The specific epithet honours Jesse Gregson of Newcastle, New South Wales, a botanical friend of Maiden. It is a small tree, growing to 12 m in height. The thick, ovate to suborbicular leaves are 3–8 cm long. The flowers are green, 5 mm in diameter, borne in inflorescences in the axils of the upper leaves of the shoots. The fruits are 4–6 cm long, 3.5 cm wide and 2.5 cm thick, black and fleshy when ripe. The flowering season"
"but fairly reliable. The plant is very similar to the closely related ""Pittosporum spinescens"", but is readily distinguished by its toothed leaf margins. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names included ""Native Orange"" and ""Orange Thorn"" and that ""The fruit is an orange berry with a leathery skin, about one inch and a half in diameter. The seeds are large. It is eaten by the aboriginals [sic.]."" Pittosporum multiflorum Pittosporum multiflorum, known as the orange thorn, is a shrub growing in eastern Australia. The dense foliage provides a habitat for small birds and animals."
"on each side of the leaf. The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in corymbs of six to twelve, each flower with five white or pale pink petals and two or sometimes three styles. The flowers are pollinated by insects. The fruit is a dark red pome diameter, slightly broader than long, containing two or three nutlets. It is distinguished from the closely related common hawthorn, ""C monogyna"", in the leaves being only shallowly lobed, with forward-pointing lobes, and in the flowers having more than one style. Each style produces a seed, so its fruits also have more than one seed and"
"Taphrina pruni Taphrina pruni is a fungal plant pathogen of blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) that causes the Pocket or bladder Plum gall, a chemically induced distortion of the fruit (sloes), producing swollen on one side, otherwise deformed and flattened fruit gall without a stone. The twigs on infected plants may also be deformed with small strap-shaped leaves. ""T. pruni"" produces a distinctive tongue-like growth, similar to other closely related species such as ""Taphrina alni"" on Alder (""Alnus glutinosa"") and ""Taphrina padi"" on Bird Cherry ""Prunus padus"". The growth is the distorted fruit and not a fungus in its entirety. ""T. pruni"""
"Black bun Black bun is a type of fruit cake completely covered with pastry. It is Scottish in origin, originally eaten on Twelfth Night but now enjoyed at Hogmanay. The cake mixture typically contains raisins, currants, almonds, citrus peel, allspice, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. It had originally been introduced following the return of Mary, Queen of Scots from France, but its original use at Twelfth Night ended with the Scottish Reformation. It was subsequently used for first-footing over Hogmanay. Black bun is a fruit cake wrapped in pastry. The cake itself is similar to a traditional Christmas cake or"
"Phytophthora nicotianae Phytophthora nicotianae or Black Shank is an oomycete belonging to the order Peronosprales and family Peronosporaceae. ""Phytophthora nicotinae"" has a broad host range comprising 255 genera from 90 families. Hosts include tobacco, onion, tomato, ornamentals, cotton, pepper, and citrus plants. This pathogen can cause root rot, crown rot, fruit rot, leaf infection, and stem infection. Root rot symptoms are observed on tobacco, poinsettia, tomato, pineapple, watermelon, and African violet. Fruit rots occur on tomato, papaya, and eggplant. Onion shows a leaf and stem infection. In tobacco Black Shank affects the roots and basal stem area, but all parts"
"Crataegus pinnatifida Crataegus pinnatifida, also known as mountain hawthorn, Chinese haw, Chinese hawthorn or Chinese hawberry, refers to a small to medium-sized tree, as well as the fruit of the tree. The fruit is bright red, in diameter. In Chinese, the fruit is called ""shānzhā"" (Chinese: 山楂, literally meaning ""mountain hawthorn"") or ""dà hóng guǒ"" (大红果, literally meaning ""big red fruit""). In northern Chinese cuisine, ripe ""C. pinnatifida"" fruits are used in the desserts ""tanghulu"" and ""shanzhagao"". It is also used to make the traditional candies haw flakes and haw rolls, as well as candied fruit slices, jam, jelly, and"
"stones (usually 2). Crataegus songarica Crataegus songarica is an Asian species of hawthorn with black fruit that is sometimes used medicinally. It is closely related to ""Crataegus ambigua"", a species that has red fruit. The native range of the species covers much of Central Asia and Xinjiang. It grows on limestone or granite, at elevations of 800–2700 m. The plant is a tree or small shrub with thorns up to 15 mm in length. The white flowers have 18-20 stamens with purple anthers, and occur in groups of 10–20. The fruit is 6–14 mm in diameter, slightly longer than wide,"
"Chinese hawthorn is the traditional fruit used for the skewering, but in recent times vendors have also used various other fruits, such as cherry tomatoes, mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit, bananas, or grapes. The pits and seeds of the hawthorn are emptied out and are commonly filled with sweet red bean paste before being skewered and dipped. Tanghulu Tanghulu () also called bingtanghulu, is a traditional Chinese snack of candied Crataegus pinnatifida, also known as mountain hawthorn, Chinese haw, Chinese hawthorn or Chinese hawberry. It is also called shanzha(山楂), which is a chinese fruit. People mistaken tanghulu for regular"
"have hooked thorns and older stems have clusters of woody spines. The leaves are long and broad, simple, entire, and deciduous in the dry season. The strongly scented flowers are white, cream or pinkish, diameter, and numerous, produced in panicles. The fruit is a rounded berry, translucent white to pink, yellow, orange or red, and in diameter. The leaves are edible, containing 20 to 30% of protein in the dry leaf matter. The fruit are also edible, containing numerous small seeds. It somewhat resembles the gooseberry in appearance and is of excellent flavor. Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica,"
"of Python Tree. The bark sheds in thin papery flakes. Branchlets are smooth and brown. The leaves are opposite, simple and not toothed, being 5 to 8 cm long. Elliptic to ovate in shape with a leaf stem 3 to 6 mm long. Oil dots prominent when viewed with a lens, the leaf has a faint eucalyptus smell. Leaf venation evident, with a raised midrib on both sides, and an intramarginal vein around the leaf edge. White, scented flowers form between October and December. The fruit is a black berry. Flattened and warty, 6 mm in diameter. Inside are 3"
"a single style; they are moderately fragrant. The flowers are pollinated by midges, bees and other insects and later in the year bear numerous ""haws"". The haw is a small, oval dark red fruit about 10 mm long, berry-like, but structurally a pome containing a single seed. Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings; these birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings. The common hawthorn is distinguished from the related but less widespread Midland hawthorn (""C. laevigata"") by its more upright growth, the leaves being deeply lobed, with spreading lobes, and in"
"to the proboscises of nocturnal hawkmoths. The leaves are smooth, shiny, whorled and entire, and clustered at the ends of branchlets. The fruit is oval, hard, woody and fibrous, about 80 mm long and about 40 mm in diameter, light grey with small raised white spots and if not eaten by large browsers or elephant, will remain on the tree for years. Its common names include forest gardenia, ""mutarara"" (in the Shona language), tree gardenia, white gardenia and wild gardenia. In Afrikaans it is variously known as ""buffelsbol"" (""buffalo ball""), ""stompdoring"" (""blunt thorn""), or ""wildekatjiepiering"" (""wild gardenia""). The tree is"
"The fruit is a bell-shaped, edible berry, with colors ranging from white, pale green, or green to red, purple, or crimson, to deep purple or even black, 4–6 cm long in wild plants. The flowers and resulting fruit are not limited to the axils of the leaves, and can appear on nearly any point on the surface of the trunk and branches. When mature, the tree is considered a heavy bearer, yielding a crop of up to 700 fruits. When ripe, the fruit will puff outwards, with a slight concavity in the middle of the underside of the ""bell"". Healthy"
"silvery below than above. The flowers are pale yellow, with four sepals but no petals. The fruit is a bright red fleshy drupe 5 mm in diameter; it is edible but with a rather bitter taste. Two cultivars, 'Xanthocarpa' and 'Goldeneye', form yellow fruit. The berry is one of the mainstays of the diet of the sharp-tailed grouse, the provincial bird of Saskatchewan. The foliage provides important forage for mule deer and white-tailed deer. The shrub's thorny branches and thicket forming habit provide a shelter for many small animal species and an ideal nesting site for songbirds. Over the extent"