Crataegus aprica

Beadle

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 6 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Crataegus aprica is a species of hawthorn native to the southeastern United States. It is a bush with small leaves and fruit that go through an apricot-coloured stage before becoming red.

Description

A deciduous tree reaching 6m tall, hardy to UK zone 6. Flowers in May with seed ripening by November. Hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by midges. Grows across light sandy to heavy clay soils, tolerating mildly acid to very alkaline pH. Adapts to semi-shade or full sun, prefers dry to moist or wet soil, and handles drought well. Tolerates strong winds and atmospheric pollution but not maritime exposure.

Edible Uses

The fruit is about 12mm in diameter and can be eaten raw or cooked. Sweet and fairly juicy, it makes a good dessert fruit. It can also be used in pies and preserves or dried for later use. 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.

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

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. 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.