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Damson
Edible 
Autumn
Damsons are best cooked into jams, jellies, leathers or other puddings or used as a substitute for sloes when making sloe gin.
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Damson |
| Scientific Name | Prunus domestica subsp insititia |
| Season Start | Sep |
| Season End | Oct |
Leaves
Dark green, shiny and oval shaped with a serrated edge.
Flowers
Clusters of small, white flowers with five petals.
Fruit
A dark blue/black fruit with a thin white bloom.
Bark
The trunk is usually fairly thin the bark is often covered in scars, moss and lichen.
Habitat
Mixed woodland, hedgerows, parks, gardens and along pavements.
Possible Confusion
Other members of the plum family.
Taste
Like a slightly sour plum busting with flavour.
Frequency
Common.
Collecting
Damson trees don’t usually grow too tall so they can be easy to reach or in some years the weight of the fruit bends the branches down to picking height for you.
Medicinal Uses
It is thought the name Damson originates from ‘plum of Damascus’ and it was brought over by the Romans but recent studies show that it might have evolved from a hybrid with the Sloe or Blackthorn and another member of the plum family.
Damsons were used in the past for many different ailments but modern medicine doesn’t seem very interested in them.
Other Facts
It was used as a dye in the 18th and 19th centuries.
20 comments for Damson
Hi,
I think we have Damson trees in our garden.
The trees are tall and spindly and don’t seem to want to grow out, just up.
They are way over 10-15 feet tall as well, which is apparently the norm?
Can I prune them to grow outwards?
Perhaps they aren’t Damsons, but they look like it!
Hi Rozzer, damsons in the garden, lucky man! Damsons do like to shoot up, and if they are damsons you aren’t going to do them any harm by giving trimming the spindly growth growing up.
We have planted a damson tree3/4years ago in our orchard and it never has any blossom or fruit can you please help
I think it is a damson tree but it may be a plumb tree.The leaves are small but not shines,it has grown quite a lot in height and width and looks very healthy
I look forward to your reply.
Many thanks
Elaine Moore
A lot of fruit trees can take several years to produce fruit.
I am not convinced that a tree bought from Wyevale about 4 years ago is actually a damson. The tree is rather spindly, and has grown to about 12 feet tall. The leaves are small, and one of the 2 trunks has large spikes. Can you please help. I’m hoping it’s not a sloe.
The only way to tell is wait for the fruit. I like to eat sloes so it wouldn’t be a problem for me but they are not to most peoples tastes.
There’s a tree in woodland near my house that I’ve always known as a damson, but some people say no because it has a few long, sharp spines on it’s branches. I know for certain it’s not a blackthorn. The fruit is larger than a sloe and tastes quite different, sharp and plummy. Makes great jam. If not a damson, what could it be?
Damson and Blackthorn trees can easily hybridise, you may have one of those but I have had damson trees with thorns.
So I go picking in the woods near to me and it looks like damsons and sloe trees every where it’s great , but I can’t tell the difference the only way I seem to know is that the damson Trees seem to be covered in moss and bare around this time (September) whereas the sloes still have leaves on and have no moss ! Is this true ? Also are the damsons more blue in colour ? I mean I pick them both and mix I’m sure and I’m now in the process of making sloe gin is this a problem to mix ? Also I have made some sloe or damson mix syrup for my porridge it’s great t . Cheers
It can be hard to know if what you have found are sloes, damsons or a hybrid of both. Sloes are blueberry sized, hybrids will be in-between and damsons are more plum sized. It doesn’t matter which you use for sloe/damson gin.
Guys, picked late enough damsons are fabulously sweet and make the best fruit red wine. 3-4lb of fruit to make 1 gallon of red. It keeps and ages well. Last weekend (Oct ‘20) we opened a bottle of 2016 for Sunday lunch and it was fab! Wine is very easy to make, give it a go!
Would love your recipe if you were able to share pretty please 🙂
maybe bullace? As far as I can tell they’re midway in size between a sloe and a damson
hi , i would like to start growing wild bullace, damson, gage and plum, un-named varieties and on there own roots. We already have wild sloes.Plus save 15yrs possibly to fruit from seed. Would you know anybody or a nursery where i could purchase any of the above. thanks stephen
Is it possible to take a cutting from a wild damson tree? I am hoping it will bear fruit.
The best way time to take cuttings is late Autumn/Winter, this is a good way to propagate a damson tree.
my husband and I found some wild Damson bushes several years ago and picked them every year. Then my husband took some cuttings and planted them in our garden, we now have our own bushes across the bottom of our garden. For the last two years it has flowered, then produced some sort of fruit looking like cashews then then the Damsons appear when they go. what are they? First year my husband thought they were ruined shaped fruit but then the Damsons appeared after. We got twenty pound of fruit last year.
I think the cashew like growths are Taphrina pruni, a fungus that produces a gall that looks similar to a cashew but without seeing them I can’t be certain. The growth is part fungus part deformed fruit. If you have any photos, please send them to [email protected]
Do the ripe damsons have stones?
Hello. Do Damsons grow as a tree or can it have multiple stems rather than a trunk. I believe I have one in my garden. Thank you
Damsons often have multiple stems. If you are still unsure you can send photos of the tree, leaves and fruit to [email protected] and we will try to confirm your ID.