Hawthorn
Hawthorn tree
Flower spray
Capitate (bilobed?) stigma and lilac anthers
Pink form
Leaves
Hawthorn berries - haws
Hawthorn in September
Wind-shaped tree, Golden Cap, Dorset
Crataegus monogyna
Rosaceae
May, bread and cheese
Late April to June
It is found throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for Hawthorn
It is common in hedges, open woodland, scrub, waste ground
and brownfield sites.
Wind-shaped trees are found in exposed positions by the sea
and on hills.
Hawthorn is a native, deciduous tree growing up to 15m.
The five petalled flowers are usually white, but pink forms also
occur, particularly late on in the flowering season.
Flowers are 8-15mm across with a single style and a capitate
or weakly bilobed stigma.
There are numerous stamens with lilac-coloured anthers that
turn dark-purple later.
Leaves have 3 to 5, deeply cut lobes. They appear just
before the flowers and are said to be edible.
As a child brought up in Suffolk in the 1940s, I was told that
hawthorn leaves were edible and known as bread and cheese.
Berries are initially bright red, later turning reddish-brown.
Richard Mabey devotes several pages in Flora Britannica (1996)
to the folklore associated with Hawthorn and suggests that it is
the 'May' referred to in "Cast ne're a clout ere May is out".
Previous page: Hairy Garlic
Next page: Heath Milkwort
Hawthorn tree
Flower spray
Capitate (bilobed?) stigma and lilac anthers
Pink form
Leaves
Hawthorn berries - haws
Hawthorn in September
Wind-shaped tree, Golden Cap, Dorset
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