Flora of North America species comparison

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Crataegus berberifolia is widespread from Texas to Missouri, Florida, and Virginia; it is particularly abundant in Louisiana.

Crataegus berberifolia is little differentiated from some forms of C. crus-galli, except in indumentum; it has relatively small and less variably shaped leaves. Its distribution is quite different. Intermediates with hairy leaves and glabrous inflorescences or nearly glabrous leaves and hairy inflorescences may represent hybrids with C. crus-galli (where they might be reached in the key). Such a situation is found in C. araioclada. Abrasion of the adaxial leaf pubescence may occur, rendering identification more difficult with fruiting material. Crataegus berberifolia has a plethora of yellow and orange-fruited forms, particularly from southern Louisiana. Crataegus fera and C. tersa are red-fruited, C. crocina yellow. The fruit color in the type is unknown; E. J. Palmer (in specimen annotation) called it yellow-orange. A form with exceptionally white-tomentose leaves near Copenhagen, Louisiana, is probably this species. Crataegus regalis var. paradoxa (Sargent) E. J. Palmer, from Missouri and adjacent Kansas and Arkansas, is probably a hybrid between the deeply serrated 'regalis' leaf form of C. crus-galli and a form of C. berberifolia. Two common forms of C. berberifolia occur, treated here as varieties: var. engelmannii with ten pink anthers and var. berberifolia with 20 cream anthers. Forms with 20 pink or ten cream anthers also occur sporadically.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Crataegus crocea ranges from southwestern Alabama to central Florida into North Carolina; it is particularly abundant and locally common in Alachua and Marion counties, Florida.

A wide view is taken of Crataegus crocea. The typical form, which represents one pole of variation, has narrowly elliptic leaves perfectly smooth in outline, acute at the apices, the distal margins sometimes finely denticulate and larger leaves slightly incised distally. It is the most distinctive form of the species and is locally common at least in northern Florida. Other forms with similar leaves may be referred to C. frugalis and, if with larger leaves at maturity sometimes slightly incised distally, to C. recurva. Crataegus curva is a form that is somewhat similar to the type but is wider and shorter and has shorter petioles. Often, leaves of C. crocea are wider than the type form and somewhat spatulate; these represent C. villaris and C. incana, the latter with particularly dense tomentum when young. All the foregoing forms intergrade. Forms such as C. adusta Beadle, with more or less spatulate leaves often with strongly crenulate to obscurely lobed leaf apices, are intermediate with C. condigna. They are larger in all their parts than typical C. crocea.

In spite of its variability, there should usually be no difficulty separating Crataegus crocea either from C. munda or from the small-leaved C. condigna, both subser. Tenues, both of which have obviously toothed leaf margins, nor from C. lacrimata with its glabrous inflorescences and more or less eglandular bracteoles. Larger-leaved forms of C. crocea, with spatulate-cuneate blades obscurely crenate-serrate distally, may resemble the C. illudens form of C. lassa (subser. Robustae) from Selma, Alabama; they retain the smaller fruit of C. crocea.

A related, unnamed form known from northern Florida has particularly long petioles, narrowly rhombic-obovate leaf blades (that is, with the lateral vertices nearer the distal end), and more or less entire margins.

Crataegus crocea can form an attractive, delicate shrub, which should be very suitable for xeriscaping.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)