From TheBestLinks.com
- This article discusses the hawthorn plant. See Hawthorn (disambiguation) for alternate uses of the word.
Hawthorn is the name of a large group of shrubs and small trees in the genus Crataegus, family Rosaceae, characterized by their small, apple-like fruits and thorny branches. The fruits are sometimes known as 'haws', from which the name derived. The original name was applied to the species native to northern Europe, and especially the Common Hawthorn C. monogyna, but is now applied to the entire genus. They are native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The number of species in the group may extend to a thousand or more, though some botanists would reduce the number of species considerably.
Common Hawthorn (close up of flowers)
Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects.
In Celtic lore, the hawthorn plant was used commonly for rune inscriptions along with Yew and Apple. It was once said to heal the broken heart.
Many species and hybrids are used as ornamental and street trees. The Common Hawthorn is extensively used in Europe as a hedge plant. Several cultivars of the Midland Hawthorn C. laevigata have been selected for pink or red flowers.
Species
The species include the following;
The flowers of Common Hawthorn (
C. monogyna)
- Crataegus aemula - Rome Hawthorn
- Crataegus aestivalis - May Hawthorn
- Crataegus altaica - Altai Mountain Thorn
- Crataegus ambigua - Russian Hawthorn
- Crataegus ambitiosa - Grand Rapids Hawthorn
- Crataegus anamesa - Fort Bend Hawthorn
- Crataegus ancisa - Mississippi Hawthorn
- Crataegus annosa - Phoenix City Hawthorn
- Crataegus apiomorpha - Fort Sheridan Hawthorn
- Crataegus arborea - Montgomery Hawthorn
- Crataegus arcana - Carolina Hawthorn
- Crataegus arrogans - Dixie Hawthorn
- Crataegus ater - Nashville Hawthorn
- Crataegus austromontana - Valley Head Hawthorn
- Crataegus azarolus - Azarole
- Crataegus crus-galli - Cockspur Thorn
- Crataegus cuneata - Japanese Hawthorn
- Crataegus douglassii - Black Hawthorn
- Crataegus intricata - Thicket Hawthorn
- Crataegus laevigata (syn. C. oxyacantha) - Midland Hawthorn
- Crataegus marshalli - Parsley-leaved Hawthorn
- Crataegus mollis - Downy Hawthorn
- Crataegus monogyna - Common Hawthorn
- Crataegus nitida - Glossy Hawthorn
- Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington Hawthorn
- Crataegus pruinosa - Frosted Hawthorn
- Crataegus punctata - Dotted Hawthorn
- Crataegus sanguinea - Redhaw Hawthorn
- Crataegus succulenta - Fleshy Hawthorn
- Crataegus stipulacea - Mexican Hawthorn
- Crataegus viridis - Winter King Hawthorn , Green Hawthorn
- etc.
da:Tjørn (Crataegus)
de:Weißdorn
fr:Aubépine officinale
nl:Meidoorn
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