ID: 011

To ID from the key:

1 Buds alternate

35 Spines present

36 Bud scales not with a fringe of tiny white hairs

37 Twigs v dark and robust, very spiny, longer spines bearing many buds (looks like illustration)

= BLACKTHORN

Name: Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa

Notes:

Comparing against the description by Price and Bersweden (2013): long spines, buds on spines not just stem. Occasionally in clusters (seen). Dark coloured twigs, some young twigs develop a silvery outer layer (also seen).

This was another specimen that I used nbn atlas to track down! The co-ordinates were not exact so I still had to look around the site. In the end I saw some as I entered the site but I kept going until I came through into a clearing and found the example that I digitally 'collected'.