Hawthorn species: an overview of native species

Hawthorns come in a wide variety of species and growth forms. We present nine interesting hawthorn species for the home garden.

In addition to the native hawthorn species, species from different parts of the world have established themselves in our cities, but also as hedge plants and bird protection trees. We present 9 hawthorn species for our gardens and describe their growth, location requirements, fruit ripeness and use.

Hawthorn species

The genus of Hawthorns (Crataegus) is extremely diverse and should find a place in every garden: All hawthorn species provide nectar and nutritious fruits for insects, birds and mammals. In the following list you will find the special features of the respective species and their requirements for the location.

Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

The common hawthorn or hawthorn is native to us and occurs from Europe to West Asia and North Africa. As an undemanding large shrub, it can be found everywhere on sunny forest edges, stony slopes and in hedges and bushes.

The common hawthorn prefers calcareous, medium-heavy, deep and nutrient-rich soils in sunny locations, but also grows in poor locations. The common hawthorn tolerates heat, drought, wind and frost very well.

The dark green, egg-shaped leaves are incised up to the midrib and turn yellow to deep red in autumn. Numerous flowers in panicles bloom from May to June and attract various insects to pollinate. It is named after the fact that there is only one stylus in the flower structure. In this way, only one seed per fruit is produced during fruit formation. The dark red, apple-like fruits ripen from September to October. They taste sweet and sour raw, floury and bland, but can be added well to low-pectin fruits for jam-making to strengthen the gelation. In times of need, the dried and ground hawthorn fruits were used as a flour substitute for baking bread. This is where the regional name "Mehldorn" comes from. In medicine, the antihypertensive and circulatory-strengthening effects of flowers, leaves and fruits are valued. The best-known variety is the 6 m high and only 3 m narrow columnar hawthorn Crataegus monogyna ‘Stricta’.

Double fluted hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)

The two-fluted hawthorn is widespread and native from Europe to North Africa. You can find it at the edges of the forest, in bushes and as a pioneer in uncultivated open spaces.

He prefers warmer, more humid and nutrient-rich locations than C. monogyna. The double-fluted hawthorn also thrives in partial shade and is extremely robust against frost, wind and cuts. It becomes about 2 - 6 m, in exceptional cases 10 m high and up to 2 - 6 m wide.

The egg-shaped leaves are notched at most up to the midrib. The flowering period begins about two weeks earlier than the common hawthorn, in May. As already mentioned in the name, the flowers of the double-fluted hawthorn usually have two styles and therefore two seeds in the fruit. The fruits are elongated, deep red and about 1 cm long. They can be used from September just like the fruits of the common hawthorn. Numerous ornamental varieties were created through breeding, such as the pink-blooming, light-needing hawthorn ‘Paul's Scarlet’ or the largely powdery mildew-free and large-fruited Autumn Glory ’.

Large calyx hawthorn (Crataegus rhipidophylla)

The large-calyzed or long-calyzed hawthorn is a species of hawthorn native to Central Europe. It occurs widely in the low mountain range and lowlands of the temperate climatic zone.

Among all hawthorns, the large-calyzed hawthorn is the most shade-friendly species and thrives in hedges and light deciduous forests. The ideal location is sunny to shady on medium-heavy, deep and well-drained soils with a neutral to higher pH value. The leaves are a maximum of 5 cm in size, notched and finely serrated. In June, the large-flowered, white panicles bloom and give off a sweet scent. The round to cylindrical deep red apple fruits ripen from August to September and serve as bird food from then on. They taste sweet and sour raw, are floury and have a yellow pulp.

Plum-leaved hawthorn (Crataegus x prunifolia)

The plum-leaved hawthorn, or also plum thorn, probably originated from a cross between rooster thorn (Crataegus crus–galli) and the North American sap hawthorn Crataegus succulenta var. macrantha. In Germany, the plum thorn has been used since 1783 as a small tree that is permanent in the city in parks, hedges and green streets.

The frost and heat tolerant large shrub prefers sunny locations with loamy soils. It forms a tree-like shrub 5 - 6 m high and 4 - 5 m wide. The branches are heavily thorny, the leaves are shiny green and colored red-orange in autumn. The flowering period of the plum thorn extends from May to June. A lot of small fruits are formed, which make this hawthorn a good bird protection and nutrient wood. The best-known variety of plum thorn with medium-strong, upright growth and straight trunk is Crataegus x prunifolia "Splendens".

Rooster thorn (Crataegus crus-galli)

The cockthorn or cockspur hawthorn is originally native to northeast North America and occurs there in meadows and on the edges of forests. It thrives in drier to moist, nutrient-rich, well-drained soils. The pH value of the soil hardly plays a role for the adaptable rooster thorn. It endures wind, frost and salty soils near the coast.

The hawthorn, which grows as a large, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, reaches heights of up to 5 - 7 m, in exceptional cases 9 m. When standing alone, the rooster thorn is often wider than it is high. The dense branches have up to 8 cm long, slender thorns and serrated leaves with a splendid yellow, orange and bronze autumn color. The white-flowering panicles can be 10 cm in size and bloom from May to June. The numerous dark red, small, round fruits often stick to the bush in mild winters until spring.

Scarlet thorn (Crataegus coccinea)

The scarlet thorn or scarlet hawthorn is native to eastern North America. It prefers sunny locations on medium to light, dry to wet soils. The scarlet thorn is very adaptable in terms of pH, but thrives best on neutral to strongly alkaline soils.

The frost-hardy and wind-resistant, multi-stemmed large shrub or small tree and becomes about 5 - 7 m high, up to 3 - 4 m wide. The up to 5 cm long, hard and very sharp thorns protect bird nests from predators. The leaves of the scarlet thorn are broadly elliptical and double serrated. The numerous white flowers sitting together with striking pink stamens appear in May. After pollination, conspicuous, scarlet-red, up to 2 cm thick, apple-like fruits are formed. The splendid autumn colors appear late in the year with bright yellow-orange hues.

Apple thorn / leather-leaved hawthorn (Crataegus x lavallei ‘Carrier’)

The apple thorn was created around 1870 by crossing a rooster thorn with the Mexican hawthorn Crataegus mexicana f. stipulata at the Segrez Arboretum in France. The ideal location for this hawthorn hybrid is on medium to light, dry to fresh soils. The apple thorn tolerates pH values ​​in the neutral to strongly alkaline range.

It can withstand heat, drought and frost well and is completely hardy. As a small tree or large shrub, it can reach heights of 7 m and more. Older apple thorns can be almost twice as wide as they are high. The 5-15 cm long, toothed leaves stick to the shrub until December. In May the numerous white to pink flowers bloom in panicles. The bright orange-red speckled, up to 2 cm thick fruits adorn the bushes until January and serve as a source of food for the local fauna.

Azarol thorn (Crataegus azarolus)

The azarole thorn is native to West Asia and North Africa and is cultivated all over the Mediterranean for its large, tasty fruits. It is also known as the Welsche Loquat or Azarol apple. In earlier times the azarole thorn was also often found north of the Alps - as a winter hardy wild fruit tree down to -23 ° C. Nowadays it has almost completely disappeared and is unknown. It prefers a sunny to partially shaded location on fresh to moist, nutrient-rich, sandy-loamy soil.

The small tree or large shrub with a height of about 5 - 8 m has strongly pinnate leaves and flowers from June to July. The round to pear-shaped red to pale yellow fruits are 2 - 3 cm in size and taste apple-like, sweet and sour and aromatic. They have a very high vitamin C content and are eaten raw or processed in jams, compotes or baked goods.

Chinese hawthorn / pinnate leaf hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida)

Has been going for about 2000 years C. pinnatifida grown in China to East Asia. The preferred location is sunny to partially shaded on fresh to moist, sandy-loamy soils. The small tree, hardy to -23 ° C, reaches heights of 4 - 7 m.

Its large, dark green leaves are deeply indented and have long stalks. The Chinese hawthorn blooms from May to June and forms up to 3 cm large, round and blood-red colored fruits in autumn. The taste is sour and floury, which is why they are mainly candied or made into jelly, chewy candies, juice and wine. In folk medicine, the dried fruits of Chinese hawthorn are used to relieve digestive disorders.

In near-natural gardens, a bird hedge made from native hedge plants is an important contribution to maintaining biodiversity. With us you can find out which native shrubs for birds are suitable and which types are better avoided.