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black hawthorn, Douglas' hawthorn

aubépine de Brainerd, Brainerd hawthorn, Brainerd's hawthorn

Habit Shrubs, 40–80 dm. Shrubs or trees, 40–50 dm.
Stems

1-year old twigs deep tan to dark mahogany, ± shiny young, older gray to dark gray, often showing brown or alternatively tan-brown eastward;

thorns on twigs straight or slightly recurved, deep brown young, (1.5–)2–3.5 cm.

twigs: new growth green, glabrous, 1–2-years old shiny, dark brown, older dark gray;

thorns on twigs at 1-year old very dark, shiny, stout, 3–4.5 cm.

Leaves

petiole 0.7–1.5 cm, pubescent young, slightly glandular;

blade usually elliptic to broadly elliptic or subrhombic (elliptic-obovate when lobes very small), 4–7 cm, lobes 2–4 per side, sinuses shallow, LII 10–20%, lobe apex subobtuse to acute, margins coarsely, sharply serrate, teeth small, gland-tipped young, venation craspedodromous, veins 4 or 5 per side, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface usually glabrous except on veins, adaxial densely short-appressed-pubescent.

petiole length 40% blade, glabrous, glandular;

blade ovate to narrowly ovate, 4–7 cm, base cuneate to rounded, lobes 3 or 4 per side, margins serrate, teeth numerous, sharp, fine, gland-tipped, especially near base, veins 5 or 6 per side (even young), apex acute, abaxial surface glabrous except for tufts in vein axils, adaxial glabrate.

Inflorescences

10–25-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteole margins stipitate- or sessile-glandular.

7–12-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteoles absent or few at anthesis.

Flowers

10–15 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals broadly triangular, 3–4 mm, margins sparsely glandular, adaxially glabrous;

stamens 10, anthers pink;

styles 3 or 4.

15–18 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals narrowly triangular, margins glandular-serrate;

stamens 20, anthers pink to red;

styles 2 or 3(–5).

Pomes

vinous and usually waxy glaucous young, dull black mature, usually ellipsoid, 6–8 mm diam., glabrous;

sepal remnants reflexed, apex obtuse;

pyrenes 3 or 4, sides excavated, sometimes only shallowly.

reddish, ± oblong-orbicular, 8–9 mm diam., glabrous;

sepals ± sessile;

pyrenes 2 or 3, sides erose.

2n

= 68.

Crataegus douglasii

Crataegus brainerdii

Phenology Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Oct. Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat Brush, old fields, fencerows, woodland edges Successional fields, brush
Elevation 50–1600 m (200–5200 ft) 10–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MI; MN; MT; OR; WA; WI; AB; BC; ON; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MA; ME; MI; NH; NY; VT; WI; ON; QC
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Discussion

Crataegus douglasii occurs from southern and western British Columbia to the panhandle of Alaska and ranges to northern California and the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, and southwestern Alberta. Disjunct populations occur farther east in the Cypress Hills (Alberta and Saskatchewan), the Montana montane islands, and around the northern Great Lakes. In western North America, C. douglasii is found mainly near water in drier areas; in more mesic regions, it may occur in open woodlands. In the Great Lakes area, it mainly occurs in old pastures and on fencerows.

Crataegus douglasii is distinguished from C. gaylussacia by having ten stamens and is rather variable in leaf shape and size. The species is distinguished from C. okennonii by the latter usually being taller and typically more erect as well as having a usually straight, single trunk, shorter thorns, ampulliform-orbicular fruit, and often purplish crimson fall foliage. Crataegus castlegarensis is the most similar species, and beyond possessing relatively few to many multiple thorns, it is distinguished from C. douglasii by its hairy hypanthia, pedicels, and, often, fruit, which is orbicular, plump, crimson to purple in late August, ripening to deep purple (sometimes black) at a time when sympatric C. douglasii is fully black.

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

Crataegus brainerdii has a scattered distribution and seems nowhere common. E. J. Palmer (1950) recorded it from North Carolina but this is well out of range. This species is similar in leaf shape to C. scabrida var. scabrida; it differs in stamen number.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 512. FNA vol. 9, p. 523.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Douglasia > ser. Douglasianae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Macracanthae > ser. Anomalae
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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms C. columbiana, C. tennowana
Name authority Lindley: Edwards's Bot. Reg. 21: plate 1810. (1835) Sargent: Rhodora 3: 27. (1901)
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