Crataegus anomala
Sarg.
wikimedia· cc0
Wikimedia Commons - Internet Archive Book Images
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
Summary
A deciduous shrub growing to 5m, hardy to UK zone 5. Hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by midges. Adapts to light sandy through heavy clay soils, including very alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun, prefers moist or wet soil but tolerates drought. Withstands strong winds and atmospheric pollution but not maritime exposure.
Description
A deciduous shrub growing to 5m, hardy to UK zone 5. Hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by midges. Adapts to light sandy through heavy clay soils, including very alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun, prefers moist or wet soil but tolerates drought. Withstands strong winds and atmospheric pollution but not maritime exposure.
Edible Uses
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and reaches up to 20mm in diameter, with a thick, juicy flesh and a very pleasant flavour that makes it an excellent dessert fruit. It can also be used in pies and preserves or dried for later use. Up to five fairly large seeds occupy the centre, and as these tend to fuse together, eating the fruit is much like eating a cherry with a single stone.
Medicinal Uses
Though no specific research has been recorded for this species, the fruits and flowers of hawthorns broadly are well established in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic, and modern research supports this. Both fruits and flowers exert a hypotensive effect and act as a gentle, direct heart tonic. They are particularly suited to treating a weak heart accompanied by high blood pressure. Prolonged use is required for effective results, and the plant is typically taken as a tea or tincture.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant.
Where It Grows
Canada, North America, USA,
Cultivation
A very easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained moisture retentive loamy soil but is not at all fussy. Once established, it succeeds in excessively moist soils and also tolerates drought. It grows well on a chalk soil and also in heavy clay soils. A position in full sun is best when plants are being grown for their fruit, they also succeed in semi-shade though fruit yields and quality will be lower in such a position. Most members of this genus succeed in exposed positions, they also tolerate atmospheric pollution. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. This species is growing in a number of botanical gardens in Britain, where it is fruiting very well. Some botanists do not recognise it as a distinct species and place it as part of C. pedicellata. The flowers have a foetid smell somewhat like decaying fish. This attracts midges which are the main means of fertilization. When freshly open, the flowers have more pleasant scent with balsamic undertones. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted.
Propagation
Seed is best sown fresh in autumn in a cold frame; some will germinate the following spring, though most will likely take a further year. Stored seed germinates slowly and erratically — warm stratify for 3 months at 15°C, then cold stratify for 3 months at 4°C, after which germination may still take another 18 months. Scarifying before stratification may shorten this period, and fermenting the seed for a few days in its own pulp may also help. Alternatively, harvest seed green — once the embryo is fully formed but before the seedcoat hardens — and sow immediately in a cold frame for possible spring germination. For small quantities, pot seedlings individually as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on for the first year before planting out in late spring. For larger quantities, sow directly in a protected outdoor seedbed and undercut the roots if plants will remain there for more than two years.
Other Uses
The wood is heavy, hard, tough, and close-grained. It is practical for small items such as tool handles and mallets.
Notes
There are 200 or more Crataegus species.
References (3)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 274
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Rhodora 3:74. 1901
