Sloe: a fruit that outlasts the frost

Hard, bitter, and late to ripen — sloes aren’t picked for sweetness. But their name is one of the oldest in the English plant-word record, and their use reaches back to the Neolithic. This card traces the linguistic roots of sloe from Indo-European to Old English, explores the botanical and folkloric identity of Prunus spinosa, and documents how a hedgerow fruit became a seasonal marker and a household staple.