Prunus insititia (LINN.)
N.O. Rosaceae
Synonyms: Bully-bloom (for the flowers). Bullies, Bolas, Bullions and
Wild Damson (for the fruit).
(French) Sibarelles.
Part Used: Fruit, wood and bark.
Habitat: Common in England in thickets, woods and hedges, though more
rare in Scotland and probably not wild north of the Forth and Clyde. Common in
South-East Europe and in Northern and Central Asia.
Description
| Constituents
| Medicinal
Action and Uses | Varieties
¶ Description.
A tall shrub, sometimes developing
into a small tree about 15 feet high. Resembles the Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus
spinosa), but is less thorny and has straight, not crooked branches, covered
by brown, not black bark, only a few of the old ones terminating in spines, the
younger ones downy. It has also larger leaves than the Blackthorn, downy
underneath, alternate, finely-toothed, on short, downy foot-stalks, and flowers,
white like those of the Blackthorn, but larger, with broader petals, borne in
less crowded clusters and not on the naked branches, but expanding just after
the leaves have begun to unfold.
The globular, fleshy fruit, marked with a faint suture, has generally a black
skin, covered with a thin bluish bloom, and is similar to the Sloe, but larger,
often an inch across, and drooping from its weight, not erect as the Sloe.
Occasionally yellow varieties are found.
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¶ Constituents. The volatile oil expressed from
the seeds contains benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid. These substances are also
present in the young leaves and flowers.
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¶ Medicinal Action and
Uses. The bark of the root
and branches is considerably styptic. An infusion of the flowers, sweetened with
sugar, has been used as a mild purgative for children.
The wood, branches, fruit and entire plant are used throughout France for the
same properties as those of the Sloe, the bark of which is used as a febrifuge
and the gin, prepared from the fruit on account of its astringency, as a good
remedy in cases of diarrhoea.
In this country, the fruit is gathered for 'Bullace Wine,' and is also made
into excellent pies and puddings and a good preserve is made by mixing the pulp
with three times its weight of sugar.
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There are several varieties of the Bullace in cultivation, and they
frequently appear on the market as 'Damsons.' Both Bullace and Damson originate
from the same source P. domestica, the only difference being that the
former is round and the latter oval. All cultivated Bullaces are immense
bearers; the following are the best known:
ROYAL BULLACE. Fruit large, 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Skin bright grass-green,
mottled with red on the side next to the sun and becoming yellowish-green as it
ripens, with a thin, grey bloom on the surface. Flesh green, separating from the
stone, briskly flavoured with sufficient sweetness to make it an agreeable late
fruit. Ripe in early October.
WHITE BULLACE. Fruit small, round. Skin pale yellowish-white, mottled with
red next the sun. Flesh firm, juicy, sub-acid, adhering to the stone, becoming
sweetish when quite ripe in end of October and beginning of November. Often sold
in London as 'White Damsons .'
ESSEX BULLACE. Skin green, becoming yellowish as it ripens. Flesh juicy and
not so acid as the common Bullace. Ripens end of October and beginning of
November. Fruit an inch or more in diameter, larger than the common White
Bullace.
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Reprinted from "A
Modern Herbal" (1931)
Mrs. M. Grieve, Edited by Mrs. C.F. Leyel
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