Crataegus macrosperma
Scientific classification Edit this 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

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.[1] It is one of the earliest hawthorns to bloom in spring.[2]

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.[3]

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.[3]

Ethnobotany

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicine for cardiovascular health.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Phipps, J.B.; O’Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. (2003). Hawthorns and medlars. Cambridge, U.K.: Royal Horticultural Society. ISBN 0881925918.
  2. ↑ 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
  3. 1 2 3 "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.
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