Crataegus pruinosa

(J. C. Wendl.) K. Koch

Frosted hawthorn, Waxyfruit Hawthorn

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 479 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Crataegus pruinosa is a species of hawthorn known by the common name frosted hawthorn. It is native to a wide area of the eastern United States and southern Canada, and is sometimes considered to be several species, rather than just one. The pulp of the small fruits is edible.

Description

A small tree. It grows 6 m tall. It has sharp thorns. They are 25 mm long. The leaves are 6 cm long and oval in shape. They have sharp teeth. There are shallow lobes near the tips. The leaves have red tints when young and become dark green. The flowers are white and in clusters 12 mm wide. The fruit are red.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The flesh is sweet and yellow; while described as both thick and thin in different accounts, the fruit measures up to 16mm in diameter (approximately 1cm in some forms). It is suitable for pies, preserves, and drying for later use. Up to five fairly large seeds sit in the centre, often fusing together so the fruit is eaten like a cherry with a single stone.

Medicinal Uses

Though no specific research has been conducted on this species, the fruits and flowers of hawthorns are widely recognised in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic — a use supported by modern research. Both parts exert a hypotensive effect and act as a gentle, direct cardiac tonic, making them particularly useful for weak heart combined with high blood pressure. Prolonged use is required for the treatment to be effective. It is typically prepared as a tea or tincture.

Distribution

Temperate. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

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 as soon as it is ripe in autumn in a cold frame. Some seed will germinate the following spring, though most will likely take a further year. Stored seed can be very slow and erratic; it should be warm stratified for 3 months at 15°c, then cold stratified for 3 months at 4°c, and may still take another 18 months to germinate. Scarifying before stratification may help, as may fermenting the seed in its own pulp for a few days. Alternatively, 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 as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on for their first year before planting out in late spring. For larger quantities, sow directly in an outdoor seedbed with protection from mice and seed-eating animals, undercutting roots if plants will remain in the bed for more than two years.

Other Uses

The wood is heavy, hard, tough, and close-grained, making it well suited for tool handles, mallets, and other small wooden items. The plant is noted for its scent.

Notes

There are 200 or more Crataegus species.

Synonyms

Crataegus aspera Sarg.Crataegus crawfordiana Sarg.and others

References (6)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 240
Hort. dendrol. 168. 1853
Little, E.L., 1980, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. Alfred A. Knopf. p 480
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/

Show all 6 references

Toupal, R. S. & Hollenback, K., 2009, An Ethnobotany of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Plant Uses of the Ojibwa People. Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology. University of Arizona