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HAWTHORN

Crataegus monogyna

Rose Family [Rosaceae]

month8apr month8april month8may month8jun month8june

category
category8Trees
category
category8Broadleaf
category
category8Deciduous
status
statusZnative

flower
flower8white
inner
inner8cream
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
sex
sexZmonoecious

23rd May 2010, Leeds & Liverpool canal, Appley Bridge. Photo: © RWD
Usually a hedgerow plant or in woods or scrubland.


20th May 2017, MB&B canal, Agecroft, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
It can grow to 10m high (15m exceptionally). Your Author doesn't know how tall this specimen is.


2nd May 2009, Shorewell, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
A somewhat untidy tree with low branches stooping downwards whilst high branches reach up for the sky.


13th May 2011, near Lumley Fee Hut, Helsington, Kendal, Lakes. Photo: © RWD
Sometimes Hawthorn is a procumbent shrub, as here.


2nd May 2009, Shorewell, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
The flowers have 5 white (not pink or reddish for the native Hawthorn) petals.


2nd May 2009, Shorewell, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
The flowers


13th May 2011, near Lumley Fee Hut, Helsington, Kendal, Lakes. Photo: © RWD
There are typically ~12 to 20 stamens with initially pink lip-like anthers (turning brown to black) and a single pale-yellow discoidal style in the centre.


19th May 2018, nr. Killamarsh, Sheffield. Photo: © RWD
The single style and plethora of anthers in close-up.


22nd June 2010, Humphrey Head, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
Hawthorn grows almost everywhere until you zoom in to see that it is now decreasing in large sprawling city areas. Your Author also hopes that these specimens are indeed those of Hawthorn itself, and not one of the others which look similar or indeed a hybrid - seeing as your Author did not look closely at these two. This is on the Western side of UK and its bent-over nature suggests that they have high winds blowing out to sea around here.


10th June 2010, Warton Crag, Silverdale, Carnforth, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Your Author supposes that it is possible this specimen is not native Hawthorn because of the pinkish sepals, which are now reflexed backwards? But they might turn pinkish after, for all your Author knows?


10th June 2010, Warton Crag, Silverdale, Carnforth, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
These leaves look like those of Hawthorn but there are not many teeth near the ends of the leaflets as he would have thought. But the book says it is very variable. The leaves here are also sparsely hairy with very short hairs (as they can be on Hawthorn).


24th Sept 2011, Chesterfield Canal, nr Shireoaks, Worksop Photo: © RWD
Here the leaves are acutely serrated near the ends of the lobes, which is the specification for Hawthorn. The fruit are initially green turning red when ripe (not brown or black), berry-like and have but one stone within. They are ~globular to ellipsoidal in shape and between 8 to 10mm across (6 to 13mm in the extreme).


14th July 2010, old dunes, Hillside, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The sepal cups (when the petals have dropped off) are initially gourd-shaped and green, turning red with a spent style poking out above the curved-back sepals.


24th Sept 2011, Chesterfield Canal, nr Shireoaks, Worksop Photo: © RWD
The leaves have 3 deeply-cut lobes at the end followed by one opposite or two opposite pairs of leaflets. That is, usually 5 to 7-lobed, but sometimes they can be just 3-lobed. They also usually have teeth, albeit somewhat irregular teeth. This is the shape of the leaves as drawn in books about Hawthorn. But they are very variable.


2nd May 2012, Rochdale Canal, nr. Summit Level. Photo: © RWD
With usually between 5 and 7 leaf lobes (only occasionally 3).


2nd May 2012, Rochdale Canal, nr. Summit Level. Photo: © RWD
Upper surface of leaf. The leaves are V-shaped delta on the stem side with wings extending a little way down the stem, tapering as they do so. A little beyond halfway the leaves start having 5 or 7 lobes (only rarely do they have 3 lobes). The lobes are usually slightly toothed.


2nd May 2012, Rochdale Canal, nr. Summit Level. Photo: © RWD
Underside of leaf with network veins showing. Several long(ish) leaf stems emerge from one location on the woody-looking branch.


2nd May 2012, Rochdale Canal, nr. Summit Level. Photo: © RWD OR WHO
Its bark is worse than its bite. Most specimens of Hawthorn trees seem to have the bark split randomly as shown.




GALLS on HAWTHORN

11th Oct 2008, Quarr Abbey, Ryde, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
The terminal shoot is both stunted and distorted by the gall Dadineura crataegi which is a Diptera genus in the Cecidomyiidae family.


24th June 2009, Wild Tracts, Shalfleet, IOW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Cotterill
A gall which has swollen the stem on one side causing it to bend. There is a hole on its right-hand side where the inhabitants have presumably bored themselves out when they were ready. It looks a fairly spacious gall for the size of the hole through which they escape so one assumes that there were many of the unknown species of creature parasitizing the stem inside.


Can be mistaken for : other Hawthorns or Cockspurthorns which are all in the same genus, (Crataegus) as well as several hybrids.

Hybridizes with : Flower ()

  • Large-sepalled Hawthorn (Crataegus rhipidophylla) to produce Crataegus × subsphaerica which occurs widespread through England and Wales.
  • Midland Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) to produce Crataegus × media which covers the full spectrum of intermediaccy and is common near Midland Hawthorn
  • Various-leaved Hawthorn (Crataegus heterophylla) to produce an un-named hybrid which has arisen naturally in a wooded cemetery in Surrey and which also seems to backcross.


  Crataegus monogyna  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Rosaceae  

Distribution
 family8Rose family8Rosaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Crataegus
Crataegus
(Hawthorns)

HAWTHORN

Crataegus monogyna

Rose Family [Rosaceae]