Crataegus dispessa

Ashe

Mink Hawthorn

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 1 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

A deciduous tree reaching 8m, not frost tender. Flowers in May with seeds ripening in September. Hermaphroditic flowers pollinated by midges. Tolerates light, medium, and heavy clay soils in mildly acid to mildly alkaline conditions. 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

Edible Uses

The fruit is likely eaten raw or cooked and has a fair flavour. It is quite large with a thick flesh, measuring about 12mm in diameter, and can be used in pies, preserves, and similar preparations, or dried for later use. Up to five fairly large seeds occupy the centre of each fruit and often stick together, giving the impression of a cherry-like fruit with a single stone.

Medicinal Uses

Although 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, a use backed by modern research. Both parts produce a hypotensive effect and act as a gentle, direct cardiotonic, making them especially suited to treating weak heart combined with high blood pressure. Prolonged use is needed for the treatment to be effective, and it is generally taken as a tea or tincture.

Distribution

Temperate.

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. There is some confusion over the correct spelling of this species. It is spelt as above in most floras, but as C. dispersa in. It is also considered by some authors to be no more than a part of C. lanuginosa. 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. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted.

Propagation

Sow seed as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame; some will germinate the following spring, though most will likely take a further year. Stored seed is slow and erratic — warm stratify for 3 months at 15°C, then cold stratify for 3 months at 4°C, and germination may still take another 18 months. Scarifying before stratification may help, as may fermenting the seed in its own pulp for a few days. Another option is to harvest seed green — once the embryo is fully developed but before the seedcoat hardens — and sow immediately in a cold frame for possible spring germination. For small quantities, pot seedlings individually once large enough to handle, grow on for a year, then plant out in late spring to nursery beds or final positions. For larger quantities, sow direct into an outdoor seedbed with protection from mice and other seed-eaters, and undercut roots if plants will remain in the seedbed for more than two years.