Crataegus macrosperma

Crataegus macrosperma
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Crataegus
Section:	Crataegus sect. Coccineae
Series:	Crataegus ser. Tenuifoliae
Species:	C. macrosperma
Binomial name
Crataegus macrosperma Ashe

Crataegus macrosperma, the bigfruit hawthorn is a species of hawthorn native to most of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada, though uncommon at lower altitudes in the south. It is sometimes misidentified as C. flabellata. ^[2] It is one of the earliest hawthorns to bloom in spring. ^[3]

Description

It is a small tree with long straight thorns. It has white flowers that bloom during the spring that smell like dead fish, attracting midges that fertilize the flowers, resulting in edible reddish-orange fruits that appear during the fall. ^[4]

The most fruit will appear if grown in full sunlight. It tolerates clay soils, drought, and wind, but not salt air. Seed-grown trees will take 5–8 years before producing fruit, but grafted trees often have flowers by the third year. ^[4]

Ethnobotany

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicine for cardiovascular health. ^[4]

References

1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2018). "Crataegus macrosperma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018 e.T135957261A135957263. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T135957261A135957263.en . Retrieved 2 June 2024.
2. Phipps, J.B.; O'Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. (2003). Hawthorns and medlars . Cambridge, U.K.: Royal Horticultural Society. ISBN   0-88192-591-8.
3. Phipps, J.B. (2015), "Crataegus macrosperma Ashe, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 16: 73. 1900", in L. Brouillet; K. Gandhi; C.L. Howard; H. Jeude; R.W. Kiger; J.B. Phipps; A.C. Pryor; H.H. Schmidt; J.L. Strother; J.L. Zarucchi (eds.), Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae, Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 9, New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. "Crataegus macrosperma (Bigfruit Hawthorn, Fanleaf Hawthorn,, Hawthorn, Large Seeded Hawthorn, Thornapple) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-07.