74. Hawthorn Trees

Also called Maythorn or Quickthorn

Location: Five different Hawthorns are along Stevens way adjacent to the Medicinal Herb Garden. From Rainier Vista to the west these are: a Common Hawthorn (C. monogyna), from Europe and now naturalized here; two Cockspur Hawthorns (C. crus-galli), broad, thorny and glossy; a native Black-Fruited Hawthorn (C. Douglasii), suckering; three Scarlet Hawthorns (C. coccinea), of tight, upright form; a Frosted Hawthorn (C. pruinosa), by the vent.

Historical Background: Hawthornes have a strong role in folklore. They were regarded as an emblem of hope by the ancient Greeks. Serbian and Croatian lore state that stakes of this wood are particularly deadly to vampires. In Celtic lore hawthornes were once said to heal a broken heart. In Gaelic lore this species “marks the entrance to the otherworld”, is strongly associated with fairies, and it is said to be bad luck to cut the tree unless it is in bloom. Although it rarely blooms before mid May, it is customary to decorate with flowering hawthorn branches on May Day. Comparatively few are cultivated for either beauty or their fruit. Some are valued for the tough rot resistant wood's specialized uses.

Non-native

Native Range: Varies

Identifying Features: Hawthorns, like the crabapples, are another large group of the Rose Family, also expressing a fairly good variety of phenotypes. Thus these descriptions will be generalized.

Identifying Features In Depth:

1. Form: Usually a dense rounded shrub-like tree, with a stout trunk and brown fissured bark that quickly splits into many thick branches, often covered with short spines. It can be formed into dense hedges or grow into trees as high as 50’ (15m).

2. Leaves: In general a very distinctive shape. While some varieties look very much like a crabapple leaf (like Crataegus crus-galli), most have an appearance like a tiny oak leaf, with 5 or more deep lobes lightly toothed on the end. They are bright green in color, lighter beneath, some varieties much darker. Veins are pinnate and buds are generally glabrous and set at the base of spines.

3. Bark: Brown and rugged, often with short spines to about 1” (2.5cm) which are a good reason not to climb these trees.

4. Reproductive Bodies: Hawthorn flowers are extremely fragrant and once smelled may be used for narrowing down identification for those with a good nose. They are generally small and white, with 5 petals and brown to red stamen, clustered together in groups of up to 16 appearing in spring with the leaves. They are a massive favorite of bees, and humans who enjoy Hawthorn Honey. The fruit which rises from these flowers is one seeded, generally reddish and, like the crabapples, a rose hip appearing. It is on a short stalk clustered with others with the small starburst pattern on the tip of its round red pulp.