Monday, October 7, 2024

Hawthorn

Such exquisite fruits! Hawthorn is also referred to as thorn-apple on maine.gov's broadleaves page, which is interesting since my first observation of these made me think of crab-apples.


I wasn't 100% sure which Hawthorn species this was since it is new to me, and most apps seemed to point to Crataegus coccinea, the scarlet hawthorn, which is considered 'absent' in Maine. So my best guess was the Eastern, or Bigfruit/ Large seeded hawthorn, Crataegus macrosperma. I posted a query on Native Plant Trust's page, and they agree with my ID! The fleshy fruits are edible, and can be used in jams.

I also read that the flowers smell like dead fish, and specifically attract midges, which pollinate them. It has large thorns on the twigs (it's in the rose family) and may also be known as mayhaw.




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