Crataegus monogyna

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Crataegus monogyna
Hawthorn fruit.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. monogyna
Binomial name
Crataegus monogyna
Crataegus monogyna range.svg
Distribution map
Synonyms [2]

Many, including:

  • Crataegus elegans(Poir.) Mutel [3]
  • Crataegus polyacanthaJan

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 (33 feet) tall, producing hermaphrodite flowers in late spring. The berry-like pomes (known as haws) contain a stone-encased seed.

Contents

The plant is native to Europe, but has been introduced in many other parts of the world. The pome flesh is of little culinary interest due to its dryness, but is used to make jellies. The young leaves and petals are also edible.

Description

The common hawthorn is a shrub or small tree up to about 10 metres (33 feet) tall, [4] with a dense crown. The bark is dull brown with vertical orange cracks. The younger stems bear sharp thorns, about 12.5 millimetres (1⁄2 inch) long. The leaves are 20 to 40 mm (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄2 in) long, obovate, and deeply lobed, sometimes almost to the midrib, with the lobes spreading at a wide angle. The upper surface is dark green above and paler underneath. [4]

The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in late spring (May to early June in its native area) in corymbs of 5–25 together; they have numerous red stamens and a single style and are moderately fragrant. The flowers are white, frequently pink [5] pollinated by midges, bees, and other insects, and later in the year bear numerous haws. The haw is a small, oval, dark red fruit about 10 mm long, berry-like, but structurally a pome containing a single seed within a stone, the pyrene. [4] The haws develop in groups of two or three along smaller branches. They are pulpy and delicate in taste.

Similar species

The common hawthorn is distinguished from the related but less widespread Midland hawthorn (C. laevigata) by its more upright growth, the leaves being deeply lobed, with spreading lobes, and the flowers having just one style, not two or three. They are interfertile, however, so hybrids occur frequently; they are only entirely distinct in their more typical forms.

The pomes of some other hawthorns may have up to five seeds.

Taxonomy

This species is one of several that have been referred to as Crataegus oxyacantha , a name that has been rejected by the botanical community as too ambiguous. In 1793, Medikus published the name C. apiifolia for a European hawthorn now included in C. monogyna, but that name is illegitimate under the rules of botanical nomenclature. [6] [7]

Other common names include may, mayblossom, maythorn, (as the plant generally flowers in May) quickthorn, whitethorn, motherdie, and haw.[ citation needed ]

Distribution and habitat

Flowers, North Yorkshire, England Ripon Parks 4 June 2023 (50).JPG
Flowers, North Yorkshire, England

It is native to Europe, [8] being found in Ireland and Britain. [9] It is also found in northwestern Africa and Western Asia,[ citation needed ] and has escaped to North America, e.g. the Pacific Northwest. [10]

It grows in disturbed, semi-cleared areas. [10]

Ecology

Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings; these birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings. [11]

Due to excessive animal grazing in the area, new shoots of vulnerable C. monogyna trees in the open field are eaten by animals. This does not allow them to grow and causes them to take a horizontally irregular shape on the ground. [12]

A study in Wales indicated that current levels of overgrazing by sheep might extirpate the species in 60–70 years. [13]

Uses

Food

The fruit of hawthorn, called haws, are sometimes said to be edible raw, [14] but are too dry to be of interest. [8] They are commonly made into jellies, [8] jams, syrups, or wine, or to add flavour to brandy.

The young leaves are tender enough to be used in salads. [8] [15] The petals are also edible. [16] Hawthorn petals are used in the medieval English recipe for spinee, an almond milk-based pottage [17] [18] recorded in The Forme of Cury by the head chef of King Richard II, c. 1390.

Medicine

'Crimson Cloud' in Elko, Nevada 2013-05-23 07 24 06 Crataegus monogyna 'Crimson Cloud' blossoms in Elko Nevada.jpg
'Crimson Cloud' in Elko, Nevada

C. monogyna is one of the most common species used as the "hawthorn" of traditional herbalism. The plant parts used are usually sprigs with both leaves and flowers, or alternatively the fruit ("berries"). [19] Hawthorn has been investigated by evidence-based medicine for treating cardiac insufficiency. [19]

C. monogyna is a source of antioxidant phytochemicals, especially extracts of hawthorn leaves with flowers. [20]

Gardening and agriculture

Common hawthorn is extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural use. Its spines and close branching habit render it effectively livestock- and human-proof, with some basic maintenance. The traditional practice of hedgelaying is most commonly practised with this species. It is a good firewood, which burns with a good heat and little smoke. [21]

Numerous hybrids exist, some of which are used as garden shrubs. The most widely used hybrid is C. × media (C. monogyna × C. laevigata), of which several cultivars are known, including the very popular 'Paul's Scarlet' with dark pink double flowers. Other garden shrubs that have sometimes been suggested as possible hybrids involving the common hawthorn,[ citation needed ] include the various-leaved hawthorn of the Caucasus, which is only very occasionally found in parks and gardens.

In culture

In pre-modern Europe, hawthorn was used as a symbol of hope, and also as a charm against witchcraft and vampires. [22] Hawthorn was believed by some to have the ability to inhibit intruding supernatural forces, and was also thought to be sacred in nature due to an association between the hawthorn bush and the crown of thorns that, according to the New Testament, was placed on Jesus. [23]

As protection against witchcraft, hawthorn was sometimes placed in the cradles of infants, or around houses and doorways. [22] The Greeks reportedly placed pieces of hawthorn in casement windows to prevent witches from entering houses, [24] while Bohemians placed hawthorn on the thresholds of cow houses for the same purpose. [23] Hawthorn was sometimes placed on the coffin of a deceased person, on top of the person's corpse, or in the corpse's sock. [23] In Bosnia, women would sometimes place a piece of hawthorn behind the headcloth of a recently deceased person, and then throw away the remaining twig on their way home. [23] If the deceased person was a vampire, it would focus its attention on the hawthorn instead of following the woman home. [23] Among the South Slavs, stakes made of hawthorn or blackthorn wood were considered effective in impaling vampires. [25]

Notable trees

The Saint-Mars tree Hawthorn St Mars 2.jpg
The Saint-Mars tree

An ancient specimen, and reputedly the oldest tree of any species in France, is to be found alongside the church at Saint Mars sur la Futaie, Mayenne. [26] As of 2009, the tree had a height of 9 m (30 ft) and a girth of 2.65 m (8+1⁄2 ft). The inscription on the plaque beneath reads: "This hawthorn is probably the oldest tree in France. Its origin goes back to St Julien (third century)"; this has not yet been verified.

A famous specimen in England was the Glastonbury or Holy Thorn which, according to legend, sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea after he thrust it into the ground while visiting Glastonbury in the first century AD. The tree was noteworthy because it flowered twice in a year, once in the late spring which is normal, but also once after the harshness of midwinter had passed. The original tree at Glastonbury Abbey, felled in the 1640s during the English Civil War, [27] has been propagated as the cultivar 'Biflora'. [28] A replacement was planted by the local council in 1951, but was truncated by vandals in 2010. [27]

The oldest known living specimen in East Anglia, and possibly in the United Kingdom, is known as the Hethel Old Thorn, [29] and is located in the churchyard in the small village of Hethel, south of Norwich, in Norfolk. It is reputed to be more than 700 years old, having been planted in the thirteenth century. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosaceae</span> Rose family of flowering plants

Rosaceae, the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.

<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>Mespilus germanica</i> Fruit tree, the medlar

Mespilus germanica, known as the medlar or common medlar, is a large shrub or small tree in the rose family Rosaceae. When the genus Mespilus is included in the genus Crataegus, the correct name for this species is Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze.

<i>Photinia</i> Genus of shrubs in the family Rosaceae

Photinia is a genus of about 30 species of small trees and large shrubs, but the taxonomy has recently varied greatly, with the genera Heteromeles, Stranvaesia and Aronia sometimes included in Photinia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glastonbury Thorn</span> Tree associated with Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury

The Glastonbury thorn is a form of common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna 'Biflora', found in and around Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Unlike ordinary hawthorn trees, it flowers twice a year, the first time in winter and the second time in spring. The trees in the Glastonbury area have been propagated by grafting since ancient times. The tree is also widely called the holy thorn, though this term strictly speaking refers to the original (legendary) tree.

Whitethorn or white thorn may refer to:

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

Crataegus heterophylla, known as the various-leaved hawthorn, is of uncertain origin. Its original native range is not known, possibly it was the Caucasus of Western Asia. Suggestions that it originated in Southeast Europe may be based on misidentification.

<i>Crataegus laevigata</i> Species of plant

Crataegus laevigata, known as the Midland hawthorn, English hawthorn, woodland hawthorn, or mayflower, is a species of hawthorn native to western and central Europe, from Great Britain and Spain, east to Romania and Ukraine. The species name is sometimes spelt C. levigata, but the original orthography is C. lævigata.

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

Crataegus douglasii is a North American species of hawthorn known by the common names black hawthorn and Douglas' thornapple. It is most abundant in the Pacific Northwest.

Crataegus flava, common names summer haw and yellow-fruited thorn, is a species of hawthorn native to the southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida, west to Mississippi. Due to an error by Sargent the name C. flava was, and often still is, used for a different species C. lacrimata, which belongs to a different series, the Lacrimatae series. Flavae is another group of species that were thought to be related to the misidentified C. flava, and although it is now apparent that they are not related, the name of the group remains. Because the true identity of this species has only recently been discovered, the name is rarely used correctly. Individuals with red fruit occur; these have sometimes been assigned to a separate species, Crataegus senta.

<i>Crataegus crus-galli</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus crus-galli is a species of hawthorn known by the common names cockspur hawthorn and cockspur thorn. It is native to North America and is widely used in horticulture. It produces edible fruit.

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

Crataegus erythropoda is a hawthorn native to the southern Rocky Mountains in the United States. The leaves are conspicuously shiny above and fruit ("haws") are dark purplish red. It is seldom cultivated, but at one time was listed in the nursery trade under the common name "Chocolate Haw". It is closely related to C. rivularis which has fruit that are fully black when ripe.

<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 submollis</i> Species of hawthorn

Crataegus submollis, known as the northern downy hawthorn, northern red haw, Quebec hawthorn, or hairy cockspurthorn, is a species of hawthorn that grows to about 7 m in height and typically carries large crops of red fruit.

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

Crataegus mexicana is a species of hawthorn known by the common names tejocote, manzanita, tejocotera and Mexican hawthorn. It is native to the mountains of Mexico and parts of Guatemala, and has been introduced in the Andes. The fruit of this species is one of the most useful among hawthorns.

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.

Crataegus texana, the Texas hawthorn, is a member of the family Rosaceae. Typically, it is found in the form of a small tree or a large shrub and blooms in early spring, usually in the months of March and April. Flowers of the Texas Hawthorn are white and usually produce small, one-inch, scarlet fruits that are said to resemble tiny red apples. Its twigs are usually armed with thorns that can grow to be about one to three inches long.

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

Crataegus persimilis is a species of hawthorn, known by the common names plumleaf hawthorn and broad-leaved cockspur thorn, native to southern Ontario, Canada, and the US states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. It is widely cultivated, particularly in Europe, as an ornamental. Its sporadic distribution in its natural range and certain of its morphological characters leads authorities to consider it a probable naturally occurring hybrid, with its most likely parents being Crataegus succulenta and Crataegus crus-galli. It is a tetraploid. Some populations may be self-perpetuating. Its 'Prunifolia' cultivar has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, and is considered one of its top 5 trees for smaller gardens.

References

  1. ↑ Rivers, M.C.; Khela, S.; Mark, J. (2017). "Crataegus monogyna". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T203426A68083007. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T203426A68083007.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Crataegus monogyna Jacq". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mutel, Fl. Franç. 1: 358 (1834)". Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Crataegus monogyna Jacq". Bean's Trees and Shrubs. International Dendrology Society. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Parnell, J.; Curtis, T.; Webb, D.A. (2012). Webb's an Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN   978-185918-4783.
  6. ↑ Christensen, Knud Ib (1992). Revision of Crataegus sect. Crataegus and nothosect. Crataeguineae (Rosaceae-Maloideae) in the Old World. American Society of Plant Taxonomists. ISBN   978-0-912861-35-7.
  7. ↑ "Crataegus apiifolia". International Plant Names Index .
  8. 1 2 3 4 Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 13. ISBN   978-1-4729-8474-6.
  9. ↑ Clapham,A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg,E.F. 1968 "Excursion Flora of the British Isles." Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0 521 04656 4
  10. 1 2 Turner, Mark; Kuhlmann, Ellen (2014). Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 240. ISBN   978-1-60469-263-1.
  11. ↑ "Top 10 Plants for Birds". BBC Gardeners' World . Immediate Media Company Ltd. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "RikenMon's Nature.Guide | Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)". nature.guide. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Good, J. E. G.; Bryant, R.; Carlill, P. (1990). "Distribution, Longevity and Survival of Upland Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Scrub in North Wales in Relation to Sheep Grazing". Journal of Applied Ecology. 27 (1): 272–283. doi:10.2307/2403584. ISSN   0021-8901. JSTOR   2403584.
  14. ↑ Zhang, Juan; Chai, Xiaoyun; Zhao, Fenglan; Hou, Guige; Meng, Qingguo (15 September 2022). "Food Applications and Potential Health Benefits of Hawthorn". Foods. 11 (18): 2861. doi: 10.3390/foods11182861 . ISSN   2304-8158. PMC   9498108 . PMID   36140986.
  15. ↑ Mabey, Richard (2001). Food for Free, Collins.
  16. ↑ "Crataegus monogyna". Survival and Self Sufficiency. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  17. ↑ "Foods of England" . Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Jaine, T. (1987), Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, 1986: The Cooking Medium: Proceedings, Prospect Books, ISBN   9780907325369 p. 70
  19. 1 2 "Hawthorn", University of Maryland Medical Center: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, archived from the original on 30 June 2017, retrieved 3 October 2016
  20. ↑ Oztürk N, Tunçel M (2011). "Assessment of Phenolic Acid Content and In Vitro Antiradical Characteristics of Hawthorn". J Med Food. 14 (6): 664–669. doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0063. PMID   21554133.
  21. ↑ "The burning properties of wood" (PDF). Scouts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  22. 1 2 Melton 1994, p. 295.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Melton 1994, p. 296.
  24. ↑ Melton 1994, p. 295–296.
  25. ↑ Melton 1994, p. 297.
  26. ↑ "Common Hawthorn next to the church in Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne, France". Monumental trees. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023.
  27. 1 2 "BBC News – The mystery over who attacked the Holy Thorn Tree". BBC News . 4 April 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  28. ↑ Phipps, J.B.; O'Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. 2003. Hawthorns and medlars. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, UK.
  29. 1 2 "Hethel Old Thorn". Wildlifetrusts.org/. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2007.

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