Crataegus apiifolia

(Marshall.) Michx.

Parsley-leaved hawthorn, Parsley haw

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 91,864 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

Crataegus apiifolia is an illegitimate name for two species of hawthorns: Crataegus marshallii, parsley hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, common hawthorn

Description

A spiny shrub. The leaves are 25-50 mm wide and have lobes. There are teeth along the edge. The leaves are stems are downy when young. The flowers occur in clusters of 12. Each flower is about 25 mm across. The flowers are white with pink anthers. The fruit are small, red and egg shaped.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, including in pies and preserves, and can also be dried for later use. It is about 7.5mm in diameter with a thin flesh. Up to five fairly large seeds sit at the centre, and as these tend to fuse together, eating the fruit is much like eating a cherry with a single stone.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

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 warm temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 7-10.

Where It Grows

North America, USA,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. The seed need cold treatment. Plants can also be grafted.

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

This species is used as a dwarfing rootstock for C. aestivalis. The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and close-grained, weighing 46lb per cubic foot. It has no particular commercial value but is useful for making small items such as tool handles and mallets.

Notes

There are 200 or more Crataegus species.

Synonyms

Crataegus marshallii

References (3)

Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 238
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 197 (As Crataegus marshalli)
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/