Crataegus arnoldiana
Sarg.
Anomalous Hawthorn, Arnold hawthorn
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Summary
Source: WikipediaA deciduous tree reaching 7 m tall with hermaphroditic flowers pollinated by midges. Blooms in May with seeds ripening August to September. Hardy to UK zone 5. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils, including very alkaline conditions. Grows in semi-shade or full sun, adapts to dry, moist, or wet soil, and handles drought, strong winds, and atmospheric pollution well but not maritime exposure.
Description
A small tree. It grows 3-9 m high and spreads up to 4 m wide. The leaves are oval and have lobes. There are teeth along the edge. The leaves are dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are white and have a scent. The fruit are bright red berries. They are 2 cm across. They have 3-4 seeds.
Edible Uses
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is about 2cm in diameter, with a soft, juicy, sub-acid flesh and a delicious sweet flavour that makes it an excellent dessert fruit. It can also be used in pies and preserves or dried for later use. In southern Britain the fruit ripens in early September. 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 can be eaten fresh. They are also used for juice.
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 temperate plant. It is cold hardy and wind tolerant. It will grow in most soils and with many pH values. It is very drought tolerant. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. Arboretum Tasmania.
Where It Grows
Australia, North America*, Tasmania, 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. This is a tree with an excellent potential as a fruit crop in Britain. The fruit is of very good quality and is freely borne, whilst the tree is of very easy cultivation and rarely troubled by pests or diseases. A tree at the Hillier Arboretum in September 1993 was about 3 metres tall and 1.5 metres wide. The growth looked somewhat weak and the tree was leaning due to wind rock but it was carrying a heavy crop of fruit. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year. 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. A very ornamental plant, it is very closely related to C. mollis, and considered to be part of that species by many botanists. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. 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.
Synonyms
References (5)
- Bot. Gaz. 31:221. 1901
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 432
- 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
- Lyle, S., 2006, Discovering fruit and nuts. Land Links. p 164
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
