BlackthornFiona Chan-Cary, CC BY 4.0
Blackthorn
Wild cherryjamie-aa, CC BY 4.0
Wild cherry
Lookalikes

Blackthorn or wild cherry?

White spring blossom at the edges of the same woods.

The quickest check

The quickest check is how the flowers sit. Blackthorn: singly or in pairs on short stalks. Wild cherry: posies of two to six on long stalks. No flowers on the tree? Check the whole plant.

At a glance

Look atBlackthornWild cherry
How the flowers sitSingly or in pairs on short stalksPosies of two to six on long stalks
Whole plantA dense thorny thicket of many stemsA tall tree on a single trunk
Ripe fruitDusty blue, 10 to 15 mmBright red darkening to purple, up to 2 cm
Side-shootsEnding in sharp thorns, tiny dark buds along themStubby spurs crowded with long, reddish brown buds

Four ways to tell them apart

How the flowers sitFlowers
Blackthorn: how the flowers sit
BlackthornSingly or in pairs on short stalks
Wild cherry: how the flowers sit
Wild cherryPosies of two to six on long stalks
Whole plantShape
Blackthorn: whole plantFiona Chan-Cary, CC BY 4.0
BlackthornA dense thorny thicket of many stems
Wild cherry: whole plantjamie-aa, CC BY 4.0
Wild cherryA tall tree on a single trunk
Ripe fruitSloes
Blackthorn: ripe fruitNicola Crockford, CC BY 4.0
BlackthornDusty blue, 10 to 15 mm
Wild cherry: ripe fruit
Wild cherryBright red darkening to purple, up to 2 cm
Side-shootsTwigs and buds
Blackthorn: side-shootsDaniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0
BlackthornEnding in sharp thorns, tiny dark buds along them
Wild cherry: side-shoots
Wild cherryStubby spurs crowded with long, reddish brown buds
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Blackthorn

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn is a dense shrub with stiff, thorny branches. Its white flowers open on the bare, almost black stems in March, and in autumn it carries dusty blue sloes.

How to identify blackthorn →

Wild cherry

Prunus avium

Wild cherry is a tall tree with shiny, reddish brown bark that peels in horizontal strips. In April it is covered in clusters of white flowers.

How to identify wild cherry →

Their other lookalikes

BlackthornHawthornBlackthorn or hawthorn?Quickest check: the flowers and leaves, and whenBlackthornCherry plumBlackthorn or cherry plum?Quickest check: the flower and its stalkBlackthornSpindleBlackthorn or spindle?Quickest check: the top of a leafBlackthornCrab appleBlackthorn or crab apple?Quickest check: when it flowersWild cherryBird cherryWild cherry or bird cherry?Quickest check: how the flowers are heldWild cherryCherry plumWild cherry or cherry plum?Quickest check: how the flowers are heldWild cherryCrab appleWild cherry or crab apple?Quickest check: the trunkWild cherryDowny birchWild cherry or downy birch?Quickest check: the colour of the trunkWild cherryOrnamental cherryWild cherry or ornamental cherry?Quickest check: the outline
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
App StoreGoogle Play

Free to download.

Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Fiona Chan-Cary (CC BY 4.0), jamie-aa (CC BY 4.0), empressmoth (CC0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Nicola Crockford (CC BY 4.0), kirstyshannon (CC0), Daniel Cahen (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.