| Bullace | |
|---|---|
| |
| Black bullaces growing in a Denbighshire hedgerow | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Prunus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | |
| Variety: | P. d. var. nigra
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Prunus domestica var. nigra | |
The bullace is a variety of plum. It bears edible fruit similar to those of the damson, and like the damson is considered to be a strain of the insititia subspecies of Prunus domestica. Although the term has regionally been applied to several different kinds of "wild plum" found in the United Kingdom, it is usually taken to refer to varieties with a spherical shape, as opposed to the oval damsons.[1][2]
Unlike nearly all damsons, bullaces may be either "white" (i.e. yellow or green) or "black" (i.e. blue or purple) in colour, and ripen up to six weeks later in the year.[3] Though smaller than most damsons, bullaces are much larger than the closely related sloe.[3] Their flavour is usually rather acidic until fully ripe.