Many
of the trees we collectively call "Damsons" and which
grow wild may also be hybrids between our own native Blackthorn
and cultivated Plums or they may be Cultivated Plums which have
reverted to ancestral form after they were eaten by birds. This
seems to be the only explanation for the Damsons, which magically
appeared 'out of nowhere' on my land here in South-West Wales.
Damsons are not often cultivated in orchards, but many rural
homesteads and farms have one or more of these small trees and
they are treasured for the lovely tangy taste of their fruits
(usually only slightly larger than the Blackthorn sloes), which
makes excellent jams and can even be eaten 'raw' without having to
pull a funny face. Birds spread the seeds and like their
Blackthorn parent, they sucker easily, which means that one can
also find them occasionally in hedges, as well as neglected
fields.
Synonym:
Wild Plum
Cultivation:
Damson can be propagation by planting the stones, by
collecting suckers or by layering. Wild or naturalised Damson
trees produce good crops of fruit without needing any attention,
pruning or other cultivation.
Damson Blossom
Note from webmother to
page visitors:
Many of these pages are still bare bones. Whenever time allows, we
will continue to add information to the Tree Gallery until all the
trees have descriptions of their habitat, characteristics,
cultivation, uses and anything else of interest. Email us if you
are keen to know more about a particular tree and we will do our
best to complete that one next.
Traditional knowledge:
The-Tree also offers a page where
you can read the entry for Wild
Damson from "A Modern Herbal" (Mrs. M. Grieve, ed. Mrs.
C.F.Leyel) published in 1931. Obviously things have moved on
since then, yet this book is still often unsurpassed in its scope
and depth of traditional knowledge. The page pops up in a new
window. Close it to return to the Tree Gallery.
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