Crataegus flabellata
(Bosc ex Spach) K. Koch
Fanleaf Hawthorn, New England Hawthorn
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Summary
Source: WikipediaCrataegus flabellata is a species of hawthorn known by the common name fanleaf hawthorn. It is native to the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. It is intermediate in appearance between C. macrosperma and C. chrysocarpa. C. macrosperma, which occurs throughout the range of C. flabellata and also in the southeastern U.S., is often misidentified as C. flabellata.
Description
A shrub or very small tree. It grows 5 m tall. It is very thorny. The leaves are 5 cm long. They have 7-13 sharp lobes. The lobes have several small sharp teeth along the edge. The leaf stalks are grooved above and have wings. The thorns are slender and 5-6 cm long. They are slightly curved. The fruit are bright red and 8-10 mm across. They have thick flesh.
Edible Uses
The fruit is an acceptable dessert with a sweet but very soft and mealy flesh. It can also be cooked in pies and preserves, or dried for later use. Each fruit measures up to 15mm long and 8mm wide and is borne in small clusters. Up to five fairly large seeds sit in the centre 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. It grows on rocky upland soils and on the edges of forests.
Where It Grows
Canada, North America, USA,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed. The seed need cold treatment. Plants can also be grafted.
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.
Other Uses
The wood is heavy, hard, tough, and close-grained, making it suitable for tool handles, mallets, and other small items.
Notes
There are 200 or more Crataegus species.
References (4)
- Farrar, J.L., 1995, Trees of the Northern United States and Canada. Iowa State University press/Ames p 393
- Little, E.L., 1980, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. Alfred A. Knopf. p 470
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Verh. Vereines Befourd. Gartenbaues Koenigl. Preuss. Staatenser. 2, 1:240. 1853
