Flora of North America species comparison

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Crataegus brachyacantha

Crataegus ursopedensis

blueberry haw, blueberry hawthorn, hoghaw, pomette bleue

bear's paw hawthorn
Habit Shrubs or trees, 60–100(–150) dm. Shrubs, 20–30(–40) dm.
Stems

trunk bark dark gray-brown, plated;

thorns on twigs absent or present, recurved, short, to 1.5 cm.

expanding bud-scales orange-tan or paler;

twigs: new growth pubescent, 1-year old shiny red-brown, 2-years old red-brown with white flakes, older gray;

thorns on twigs usually numerous, ± straight to recurved, 2-years old shiny, very dark red-brown, ± stout, (3–)4–7 cm.
Leaves

petiole length 15–30% blade;

blade elliptic, 2–3 cm, coriaceous, shiny, lobes 0, margins crenate, venation camptodromous, veins 5 or 6(–8) per side, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial sparingly appressed-hairy, hairy on midvein, sometimes to sinuses.

petiole length 30–45% blade, glabrous (adaxial sulcus hairy mature), densely sessile-glandular;

blade ovate to ovate-trullate, 5.5–9.5 cm (flabellate, 2–3 cm at early anthesis), subcoriaceous, base cuneate to narrowly cuneate, lobes 4 or 5 per side, sinuses deep (max LII 25–35%), lobe apex acute to acuminate, margins ± serrate, teeth numerous, small, veins 5 per side, apex acuminate, glossy, abaxial surface glabrous, main veins sometimes sparsely to moderately pubescent young, adaxial densely scabrous young, glabrate mature.
Inflorescences

15–25-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteoles caducous, narrow, small, membranous, margins eglandular, nearly glabrous.

(1–)5–12-flowered, widely spread at full anthesis;

branches moderately pubescent;

bracteoles cream to pale green, often suffused light red especially distally, narrowly elliptic, membranous, margins densely sessile-glandular, appearing to grade into bud scales.
Flowers

12 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals triangular, 1.5 mm;

stamens 20, anthers cream to orange, 0.5 mm;

styles 4 or 5.

15–18 mm diam.;

hypanthium exterior pubescent, interior glabrous;

sepals pale green to scarious, triangular, 4–5 mm, margins glandular or glandular-denticulate, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely hairy;

stamens 10, anthers ivory;

styles 3 or 4.
Pomes

black to bluish black, pruinose, oblate-orbiculate, 8–14 mm diam.;

flesh mealy; fruiting calyx suberect, on small collar, sepal tips often reflexed;

pyrenes 4 or 5, dorsally slightly grooved, sides plane.

1–8 mm;

branches pubescent, sometimes sparsely; orange-red young, becoming orange-red to bright red, ellipsoid or oblong, 8–11 mm tall, pubescent;

sepals spreading to ± appressed, 3–4 mm;

pyrenes 3 or 4, sides plane to shallowly concave.
2n

= 34, 51.

Crataegus brachyacantha

Crataegus ursopedensis
Phenology Flowering Apr; fruiting Sep–Nov. Flowering May–Jun; fruiting not recorded.
Habitat Wet prairies, alluvial flats, well-drained mesic sites, woodland margins Thickets, shade of aspen or poplar
Elevation 10–200 m (0–700 ft) 800–1300 m (2600–4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; GA; LA; MS; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MT; AB; SK
Discussion

Crataegus brachyacantha occurs throughout Louisiana, where it is locally common, and in the adjacent parts of all surrounding states. A disjunct population was known in Georgia but it cannot be found there now. The species is seemingly more shade tolerant than many other hawthorns.

Crataegus brachyacantha is among the taller hawthorns in North America; its petals turn orange with age or on drying. The short, recurved thorns and bitter, oblate-orbiculate, black fruit also are distinctive and help to distinguish C. brachyacantha from C. saligna of Colorado and Utah (ser. Cerrones), which is similar in foliage and flower.

The names blueberry haw and pomette bleue may have a special appropriateness about late August when the waxy covering of the fruit is still thick and the underlying color is a dark purple. At maturity, the flesh is thin and bitter and the skin usually black. The fall foliage, brilliant lustrous orange, bronze, and red, suggests potential ornamental use. Forma leucocarpa Sargent is a white-fruited form, which was collected by E. J. Palmer at Natchitoches, Louisiana, September 1915; it is the only recorded white-fruited hawthorn.

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

Crataegus ursopedensis is restricted to and locally common in the Bear's Paw Mountains (Montana) and the Cypress Hills (Alberta and Saskatchewan).

Crataegus ursopedensis can have strikingly large, deeply incised and sharply lobed, short-shoot leaves; they are often smaller and may then be difficult to differentiate from those of C. rubribracteolata. Compared to the latter, the thorns are often longer, the inflorescences more open, the petioles proportionately longer, the bracteoles paler and, significantly, the pyrene sides more nearly plane. Crataegus ursopedensis is strikingly distinct within ser. Rotundifoliae and perhaps does not belong there.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 501. FNA vol. 9, p. 596.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Brevispinae > ser. Brevispinae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Rotundifoliae
Sibling taxa
C. aemula, C. aestivalis, C. alabamensis, C. alleghaniensis, C. annosa, C. aprica, C. aquacervensis, C. ashei, C. atrovirens, C. attrita, C. austromontana, C. beata, C. berberifolia, C. biltmoreana, C. brainerdii, C. brazoria, C. brittonii, C. buckleyi, C. calpodendron, C. castlegarensis, C. chrysocarpa, C. coccinea, C. coccinioides, C. cognata, C. collina, C. colonica, C. communis, C. compacta, C. condigna, C. craytonii, C. crocea, C. crus-galli, C. cupressocollina, C. delawarensis, C. dispar, C. dodgei, C. douglasii, C. egens, C. egregia, C. enderbyensis, C. erythropoda, C. exilis, C. eximia, C. extraria, C. fecunda, C. flabellata, C. flava, C. florens, C. floridana, C. florifera, C. fluviatilis, C. formosa, C. frugiferens, C. furtiva, C. gattingeri, C. gaylussacia, C. gilva, C. greggiana, C. harbisonii, C. holmesiana, C. ignava, C. incilis, C. integra, C. intricata, C. invicta, C. iracunda, C. irrasa, C. jesupii, C. jonesiae, C. lacrimata, C. laevigata, C. lanata, C. lancei, C. lanuginosa, C. lassa, C. laurentiana, C. leonensis, C. lepida, C. levis, C. lumaria, C. macracantha, C. macrosperma, C. magniflora, C. margarettae, C. marshallii, C. mendosa, C. meridiana, C. mira, C. mollis, C. monogyna, C. munda, C. nananixonii, C. neobushii, C. nitida, C. oakesiana, C. okanaganensis, C. okennonii, C. opaca, C. opima, C. orbicularis, C. ouachitensis, C. padifolia, C. pennsylvanica, C. persimilis, C. pexa, C. phaenopyrum, C. phippsii, C. pinetorum, C. populnea, C. prona, C. pruinosa, C. pulcherrima, C. punctata, C. purpurella, C. quaesita, C. reverchonii, C. rivularis, C. rivuloadamensis, C. rivulopugnensis, C. roribacca, C. rubella, C. rubribracteolata, C. saligna, C. sargentii, C. scabrida, C. schizophylla, C. schuettei, C. segnis, C. senta, C. sheila-phippsiae, C. sheridana, C. shuswapensis, C. sororia, C. spathulata, C. spes-aestatum, C. stolonifera, C. stonei, C. submollis, C. suborbiculata, C. succulenta, C. tecta, C. teres, C. texana, C. tracyi, C. triflora, C. turnerorum, C. uniflora, C. ursopedensis, C. venusta, C. viridis, C. visenda, C. wattiana, C. williamsii, C. wootoniana, C. ×atrorubens, C. ×bicknellii, C. ×coleae, C. ×collicola, C. ×disperma, C. ×dispessa, C. ×fretalis, C. ×incaedua, C. ×kelloggii, C. ×latebrosa, C. ×lucorum, C. ×rufula, C. ×sicca, C. ×vailiae
C. aemula, C. aestivalis, C. alabamensis, C. alleghaniensis, C. annosa, C. aprica, C. aquacervensis, C. ashei, C. atrovirens, C. attrita, C. austromontana, C. beata, C. berberifolia, C. biltmoreana, C. brachyacantha, C. brainerdii, C. brazoria, C. brittonii, C. buckleyi, C. calpodendron, C. castlegarensis, C. chrysocarpa, C. coccinea, C. coccinioides, C. cognata, C. collina, C. colonica, C. communis, C. compacta, C. condigna, C. craytonii, C. crocea, C. crus-galli, C. cupressocollina, C. delawarensis, C. dispar, C. dodgei, C. douglasii, C. egens, C. egregia, C. enderbyensis, C. erythropoda, C. exilis, C. eximia, C. extraria, C. fecunda, C. flabellata, C. flava, C. florens, C. floridana, C. florifera, C. fluviatilis, C. formosa, C. frugiferens, C. furtiva, C. gattingeri, C. gaylussacia, C. gilva, C. greggiana, C. harbisonii, C. holmesiana, C. ignava, C. incilis, C. integra, C. intricata, C. invicta, C. iracunda, C. irrasa, C. jesupii, C. jonesiae, C. lacrimata, C. laevigata, C. lanata, C. lancei, C. lanuginosa, C. lassa, C. laurentiana, C. leonensis, C. lepida, C. levis, C. lumaria, C. macracantha, C. macrosperma, C. magniflora, C. margarettae, C. marshallii, C. mendosa, C. meridiana, C. mira, C. mollis, C. monogyna, C. munda, C. nananixonii, C. neobushii, C. nitida, C. oakesiana, C. okanaganensis, C. okennonii, C. opaca, C. opima, C. orbicularis, C. ouachitensis, C. padifolia, C. pennsylvanica, C. persimilis, C. pexa, C. phaenopyrum, C. phippsii, C. pinetorum, C. populnea, C. prona, C. pruinosa, C. pulcherrima, C. punctata, C. purpurella, C. quaesita, C. reverchonii, C. rivularis, C. rivuloadamensis, C. rivulopugnensis, C. roribacca, C. rubella, C. rubribracteolata, C. saligna, C. sargentii, C. scabrida, C. schizophylla, C. schuettei, C. segnis, C. senta, C. sheila-phippsiae, C. sheridana, C. shuswapensis, C. sororia, C. spathulata, C. spes-aestatum, C. stolonifera, C. stonei, C. submollis, C. suborbiculata, C. succulenta, C. tecta, C. teres, C. texana, C. tracyi, C. triflora, C. turnerorum, C. uniflora, C. venusta, C. viridis, C. visenda, C. wattiana, C. williamsii, C. wootoniana, C. ×atrorubens, C. ×bicknellii, C. ×coleae, C. ×collicola, C. ×disperma, C. ×dispessa, C. ×fretalis, C. ×incaedua, C. ×kelloggii, C. ×latebrosa, C. ×lucorum, C. ×rufula, C. ×sicca, C. ×vailiae
Name authority Sargent & Engelmann: Bot. Gaz. 7: 128. (1882) J. B. Phipps & O’Kennon: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1081, plates 6.1d, 7.4d, fig. 27. (2007)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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