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black hawthorn, Douglas' hawthorn

huckleberry hawthorn, Klamath hawthorn, Suksdorf hawthorn, Suksdorf's hawthorn

Habit Shrubs, 40–80 dm. Shrubs, 30–100 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.

1-year old twigs tan, older grayish;

thorns on twigs recurved or straight, dark brown young, 1–2(–2.5) 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 0.7–1.5 cm, glabrous, eglandular, sometimes glandular (Montana);

blade ± rhombic-elliptic to elliptic-obovate or broadly ovate, 3–8 cm, lobes 0, or 2 or 3 per side, lobe apex acute to obtuse, margins serrate, teeth glandular in Montana, venation ± semicamptodromous, veins 3 or 4 per side, apex obtuse, abaxial surface ± glabrate, adaxial appressed-pubescent, hairy near veins in Oregon.

Inflorescences

10–25-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteole margins stipitate- or sessile-glandular.

7–15-flowered;

branches punctate, glabrous, sometimes densely pubescent (coastal Washington);

bracteole margins stipitate- or sessile-glandular.

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.

15–17 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals triangular, 4 mm, margins minutely and sparsely glandular-serrate, glabrous;

stamens 20, anthers pink;

styles 4 or 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.

dull vinous purple becoming black mature, suborbicular to broadly ovoid, 8–10 mm diam., glabrous;

sepals reflexed, apex obtuse;

pyrenes 4 or 5, sides eroded.

2n

= 68.

= 34, 51, 68.

Crataegus douglasii

Crataegus gaylussacia

Phenology Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Oct. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat Brush, old fields, fencerows, woodland edges Brush, especially near groundwater
Elevation 50–1600 m (200–5200 ft) 10–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MI; MN; MT; OR; WA; WI; AB; BC; ON; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 gaylussacia occurs from north of San Francisco to coastal mainland British Columbia, Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and coastal Alaska around Anchorage. The species ranges somewhat sporadically to Montana; it is the most northerly occurring Crataegus in North America, reaching 61 N.

Crataegus gaylussacia is an ignored name that has priority over C. suksdorfii. The plants have considerable variation in leaf shape, extremes of which are the type of C. gaylussacia from the southern edge of the species range, with 3–4 cm, more or less unlobed, elliptic to ovate leaf blades, and more or less acute teeth (not unlike syntype material of C. suksdorfii), and a contrasted northern Californian type with huge (8 cm), deeply incised leaves. T. A. Dickinson and coworkers (pers. comm.) restrict C. gaylussacia to the autotriplod from California and Oregon, calling the remainder C. suksdorfii.

Crataegus gaylussacia differs from C. douglasii by stamen number. Also, the thorns are usually shorter and the fruit is usually smaller and more orbicular than in C. douglasii, as well as being of a different early color. In addition, C. gaylussacia usually has more or less camptodromous venation, unlike C. douglasii. Hybrids with the introduced European C. monogyna were first noticed by R. Love and M. Feigen (1979) in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and are now locally common.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 512. FNA vol. 9, p. 512.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Douglasia > ser. Douglasianae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Douglasia > ser. Douglasianae
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. 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. 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 C. douglasii var. suksdorfii, C. punctata var. brevispina, C. suksdorfii
Name authority Lindley: Edwards's Bot. Reg. 21: plate 1810. (1835) A. Heller: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 69. (1903)
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