Crataegus laevigata

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Midland hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata-flowers.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Crataegus
Section: Crataegus sect. Crataegus
Series: Crataegus ser. Crataegus
Species:
C. laevigata
Binomial name
Crataegus laevigata
Crataegus laevigata range.svg
Distribution map
Synonyms [2]

Crataegus laevigata, known as the Midland hawthorn, [3] English hawthorn, [3] woodland hawthorn, [3] or mayflower, is a species of hawthorn native to western and central Europe, from Great Britain (where it is typically found in ancient woodland and old hedgerows [4] ) and Spain, east to Romania and Ukraine. The species name is sometimes spelt C. levigata, [5] but the original orthography is C. lævigata. [6] [7]

Contents

Description

It is a large shrub or small tree growing to 8 m (26 ft) or rarely to 12 m (39 ft) tall, with a dense crown. The leaves are 2–6 cm (0.79–2.4 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–2.0 in) broad, with two or three shallow, forward-pointing lobes on each side of the leaf. The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in corymbs of 6 to 12, each flower with five white or pale pink petals and two or sometimes three styles. The flowers are pollinated by insects. The fruit is a dark red pome 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) diameter, slightly broader than long, containing two or three nutlets.[ citation needed ]

Crataegus laevigata (fruits) Aubepine epineuse. Crataegus laevigata. Mahieddine Boumendjel.jpg
Crataegus laevigata (fruits)

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Flowers - It flowers in May to June (UK) in rather lax clusters. The flowers are normally white but can be pink. Flowers are up to 2.4 cm in diameter, with 2 - 3 styles and stigmas and more than 20 stamens. They have 5 triangular sepals which are obtuse. The petals can be slightly velvety on the inside. [8]

Identification

It is distinguished from the closely related common hawthorn, C. monogyna , in the leaves being only shallowly lobed, with forward-pointing lobes, without hair tufts in the vein axils, and in the flowers having more than one style. Each style produces a seed, so its fruits also have more than one seed and these make them slightly oval, in contrast with the single-seeded and therefore round fruits of common hawthorn. The two species hybridise, giving rise to C. × media.[ citation needed ]

Taxonomy

In the past, Midland hawthorn was widely but incorrectly known by the name C. oxyacantha , a name that has now been rejected as being of uncertain application. In 1753, Linnaeus introduced the name C. oxyacantha for the single species of which he was aware, but described it in such a way that the name became used for various species, including both the Midland and the common hawthorn. In 1775, Jacquin formally separated the common hawthorn, naming it C. monogyna, [9] and in 1946, Dandy showed that Linnaeus had actually observed a different plant, C. oxyacantha. By this time, though, confusion over the true identity of C. oxyacantha was so great that Byatt proposed [10] that the name should be formally rejected as ambiguous, and this proposal was accepted by the International Botanical Congress, [11] although the name continues to be used informally.

The Midland hawthorn was described botanically as a separate species as long ago as 1798 by Poiret, whose name Mespilus laevigata referred to this hawthorn. Poiret's name is reflected in the revised formal botanical name of Midland hawthorn: Crataegus laevigata (Poir.) DC.[ citation needed ]

Cultivars

'François Rigaud' has yellow fruit. [12]

'Paul's Scarlet' [13] (double red flowers), 'Punicea' [14] (pink and white) and 'Rosea Flore Pleno' [15] (double pink flowers) have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. These cultivars are considered by taxonomists to be derived from hybrids between C. laevigata and C. monogyna, within the named hybrid species C. × media. [12]

Parasites

The hawthorn button-top gall on Midland hawthorn is caused by the dipteran gall-midge Dasineura crataegi .[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Crataegus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae

Crataegus, commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn, Mayflower or hawberry, is a genus of several hundred species of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America. The name "hawthorn" was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the common hawthorn C. monogyna, and the unmodified name is often so used in Britain and Ireland. The name is now also applied to the entire genus and to the related Asian genus Rhaphiolepis.

<i>Crataegus monogyna</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn, whitethorn,one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about 10 metres tall, producing hermaphrodite flowers in late spring. The berry-like pomes contain a stone-encased seed.

<i>Crataegus oxyacantha</i> Invalid botanical name

The name Crataegus oxyacantha L. has been rejected as being of uncertain application, but is sometimes still used.

Crataegus brachyacantha is one of the "black-fruited" species of hawthorn, but it is only very distantly related to the other black-fruited species such as C. douglasii or C. nigra. The common names blueberry haw and blueberry hawthorn refer to the appearance of the fruit, which are almost blue, and does not refer to their taste. The species is rarely cultivated but has ornamental leaves, flowers, and foliage. It is native to Louisiana, and also occurs just across the border of neighbouring states.

<i>Crataegus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> lavalleei</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus × lavalleei, sometimes known as hybrid cockspurthorn or Lavallée's hawthorn, is a hybrid that arose between cultivated specimens of two species in the genus Crataegus (Hawthorn). It is an ornamental small tree with glossy dark green unlobed leaves that is used horticulturally.

<i>Crataegus punctata</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus punctata is a species of hawthorn known by the common names dotted hawthorn or white haw that is native to most of the eastern United States and eastern Canada. While some sources claim it is the state flower of Missouri, the actual legislation does not identify an exact species. Furthermore, the Missouri Department of Conservation asserts the Crataegus mollis was specifically designated as the state flower.

<i>Crataegus rhipidophylla</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus rhipidophylla is a species of hawthorn which occurs naturally from southern Scandinavia and the Baltic region to France, the Balkan Peninsula, Turkey, Caucasia, and Ukraine. It is poorly known as a landscape and garden plant, but seems to have potential for those uses.

<i>Crataegus <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> media</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus × media, is a hybrid between two species in the genus Crataegus (Hawthorn), C. monogyna and C. laevigata, both in series Crataegus. Under the rules of botanical nomenclature the name C. × media covers all intermediate forms between the two parent species, including backcrosses.

Crataegus × macrocarpa, is a hybrid between two species of Crataegus (hawthorn), C. laevigata and C. rhipidophylla, both in series Crataegus. A chemotaxonomic investigation comparing flavonoid patterns in C. × macrocarpa and its putative parent species corroborated their supposed relationship. It is sometimes confused with C. × media, the hybrid between C. monogyna and C. laevigata.

<i>Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae</i> Species of moth

Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae is a moth of the family Gracillariidae found in all of Europe except the Balkan Peninsula. It was described by the German-born Swiss entomologist, Heinrich Frey in 1856. The larvae are known as leaf miners, living inside the leaves of their food plants.

Crataegus × ariifolia is an ornamental hybrid hawthorn that is used in horticulture. Its name refers to a similarity of its leaves to the genus Aria.

Stigmella oxyacanthella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae, found in Europe and North America. The larvae are leaf miners feeding inside the leaves of trees and shrubs, such as hawthorn, apple and pear.

<i>Stigmella hybnerella</i> Species of moth

Stigmella hybnerella also known as the greenish thorn pigmy is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in all of Europe, in North Africa, the Near East, and the eastern part of the Palearctic realm. The larvae mine the leaves of trees and shrubs such as hawthorns and rowans.

<i>Stigmella regiella</i> Species of moth

Stigmella regiella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic realm.

<i>Ectoedemia atricollis</i> Species of moth

Ectoedemia atricollis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae found in Asia and Europe. It was described by the English entomologist Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1857.

<i>Phyllonorycter corylifoliella</i> Species of moth

Phyllonorycter corylifoliella, the hawthorn red midget moth, is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in all of Europe.

C. laevigata may refer to:

<i>Blastodacna hellerella</i> Species of moth

Blastodacna hellerella is a moth in the family Elachistidae. It is found in most of Europe except the north. In the east, the range extends to the Caucasus.

<i>Bucculatrix bechsteinella</i> Species of moth in genus Bucculatrix

Bucculatrix bechsteinella is a moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by Johann Matthäus Bechstein and Georg Ludwig Scharfenberg in 1805. It is found in most of Europe, except Greece and Bulgaria.

× Crataemespilus is the generic name applied to hybrids between the genera Crataegus and Mespilus. It should not be confused with + Crataegomespilus, which is applied to graft-chimeras between those genera.

References

  1. Rivers, M.C. & Khela, S. (2017). "Crataegus laevigata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T203425A68082745. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T203425A68082745.en . Retrieved 31 May 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Christensen, K.I. (1992). "Revision of Crataegus sect. Crataegus and nothosect. Crataeguineae (Rosaceae-Maloideae) in the Old World". Systematic Botany Monographs. 35: 1–199. doi:10.2307/25027810. JSTOR   25027810.
  3. 1 2 3 "Crataegus laevigata". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora: Crataegus laevigata
  5. Gutermann, W. (2011). "Notulae nomenclaturales 41-45. (New names in Cruciata, Kali, and some small corrections)". Phyton: Annales Rei Botanicae. 51 (1): 95–102.
  6. Poiret, J.L.M. (1798). "Néflier; Mespilus". In J.B.A.P.d.M. De Lamarck (ed.). Encyclopédie Méthodique. Botanique. Vol. 4. Paris: H. Agasse. pp. 437–447.
  7. Christensen, K.I.; Talent, N. (2013). "Crataegus laevigata or C levigata – a Paleographic Analysis". Phyton: Annales Rei Botanicae. 52 (2): 195–201.
  8. Streeter, David (2019). Collins Wild Flower Guide. London: HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0-00-815674-9.
  9. Jacquin, N.J. 1775. Florae Austriacae sive Plantarum Selectarum in Austriæ archiducatu: sponte crescentium icones, ad vivum coloratæ, et descriptionibus, ac synonymis illustratæ.
  10. Byatt, J. (1974). Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 69: 15–20.
  11. Brummitt, R. K. (1986). Taxon 35: 556–563.
  12. 1 2 Phipps, J.B.; O'Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. 2003. Hawthorns and medlars. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, U.K.
  13. "RHS Plant Selector - Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet'" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  14. "Crataegus laevigata 'Punicea'". RHS. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. "RHS Plant Selector - Crataegus laevigata 'Rosea Flore Pleno'" . Retrieved 20 July 2013.

Further reading