Waxy-fruit Hawthorn (Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Waxy-fruit Hawthorn

Crataegus pruinosa

Summary ⁶

Crataegus pruinosa is a species of hawthorn known by the common name frosted hawthorn. It is native to a wide area of the eastern United States and southern Canada, and is sometimes considered to be several species, rather than just one.

Description ⁷

This species is a shrubby tree about 10-20' tall, branching irregularly and widely. The small trunk is up to 8" across with gray bark that is rough and scaly. Branch bark is gray and more smooth, sometimes appearing glaucous. Young twigs are reddish brown and smooth; they are usually crooked. Long thorns up to 2½" long appear occasionally among the branches and twigs; they are usually straight, but sometimes slightly curved. The alternate leaves are 1¼-2½" long and 1-2" across; they are oval-ovate or oval-deltate in shape and widest below the middle. The leaves are rounded, truncate, or slightly cordate at the base, and they have broad-pointed tips. Leaf margins are shallowly cleft with 3-4 lobes on both sides and doubly serrated. The upper surface of the leaves is blue-green, green, or yellowish green, while the lower surface is more pale; both surfaces are glabrous. Small emergent leaves are often reddish before they assume the coloration of mature leaves. Leaf venation is pinnate; the primary lateral veins terminate at the tips of the teeth and lobes, rather than their sinuses. The slender petioles are relatively long (¾-2" in length), light green to red, and hairless. Short-stalked corymbs of flowers are produced from the axils of the leaves; usually only a few flowers are produced per corymb. The peduncle and pedicels of the corymb are light green and glabrous. Individual flowers are ¾-1" across, consisting of a light green calyx with 5 lanceolate teeth, 5 white petals, 20 stamens, and a pistil with 3-5 styles. The calyx is hairless; its teeth have serrated margins. The anthers of the stamens are pink (less often yellow); they become brown with age. The blooming period occurs during late spring for about 2 weeks. Fertile flowers are replaced by small globoid pomes (about ½" across) containing 3-5 seeds. Pomes become mature during the fall. At this time, they have a red to purple exterior that is glabrous and sometimes glaucous; the fleshy interior is dry and hard. Waxy-Fruited Hawthorn spreads by reseeding itself.

Sources and Credits

(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/photos/wf_hawthorn1.jpg
(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/photos/wf_hawthorn2.jpg
(c) "<a href=""http://www.knps.org"">Kentucky Native Plant Society</a>. Scanned by <a href=""http://www.omnitekinc.com/"">Omnitek Inc</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/crdi13_001_lvd.jpg
(c) "<a href=""http://www.knps.org"">Kentucky Native Plant Society</a>. Scanned by <a href=""http://www.omnitekinc.com/"">Omnitek Inc</a>.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/crpr2_001_lvd.jpg
(c) "<a href=""http://nt.ars-grin.gov/"">ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory</a>. United States, IN, Bedford.", some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/crpr2_002_lhp.jpg
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus_pruinosa
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29449886

More Info

Range Map

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