The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

aubépine de Holmes, Holmes' hawthorn

Habit Shrubs or trees, 40–70(–100) dm, single-trunked. Shrubs or trees, 20–50 dm.
Stems

twigs: new growth greenish to reddish, glabrous or pubescent;

thorns on twigs recurved, often slender, 3–6 cm.

twigs: new growth reddish, 1-year old deep reddish brown, older dark, dull gray;

thorns on twigs straight or slightly recurved, 2-years old dull purplish brown, fine, 2–4 cm.

Leaves

petiole length 30–35% blade, glabrate to densely hairy, often sparsely glandular;

blade ± narrowly ovate, 6–9 cm, base cuneate or ± rounded, lobe apex acuminate, margins serrate or doubly serrate, teeth 2 mm, adaxial usually densely scabrous-pubescent young.

petiole length 20–30% blade, glandular;

blade broadly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or very narrowly ovate to narrowly ovate or narrowly ovate-rhombic, 3.5–4.5 cm, base curved-cuneate, lobes 0 or 1–3 per side, sides ± straight, sinuses shallow, LII 0–20%, lobe apex acute distally, margins serrulate, teeth sometimes large, veins 5–7(–9) per side (except smaller leaves), apex acute to acuminate angle from widest lobe to tip ca. 60˚, adaxial veins sparsely hairy especially young.

Inflorescences

branches usually pubescent, rarely glabrous or tomentose.

3–7-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteoles caducous, dense, narrowly oblong to very narrowly obovate, membranous to subherbaceous, margins densely glandular.

Flowers

hypanthium usually pubescent;

stamens 5–8(–10), anthers pink to rose-purple, sometimes crimson.

(13–)18–20 mm diam.;

sepals narrowly triangular, 6–7 mm, margins glandular-serrate;

anthers pale pink;

styles 3 or 4.

Pomes

bright to deep red, ellipsoid to broadly pyriform, 12–14 mm, usually glabrous;

sepals wide-spreading or erose.

greenish yellow to yellow, orbicular, 5–8 mm diam.;

sepals ± reflexed;

pyrenes 3 or 4.

2n

= 34, 51.

Crataegus holmesiana

Crataegus gilva

Phenology Flowering May; fruiting Sep–Oct. Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat Woodland edges, old pastures, fencerows Woodland edges and gaps, clear-cuts, pine-oak woodlands
Elevation 10–300 m (0–1000 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS
Discussion

Crataegus holmesiana ranges from Wisconsin and Illinois through the southern Great Lakes region to southern Quebec and Maine, and to Pennsylvania; it is common in much of its range and should be expected in West Virginia.

In its usual form, Crataegus holmesiana is readily distinguished from C. coccinea vars. coccinea and pringlei, though occasional intermediates occur. Crataegus robesoniana Sargent [C. pedicellata var. robesoniana (Sargent) E. J. Palmer] is one and perhaps C. amicta Ashe [C. holmesiana var. amicta (Ashe) E. J. Palmer] is another. Crataegus holmesiana is routinely interpreted as a typical member of ser. Coccineae, thus, a villous inflorescence taxon with serrate sepals. However, the protologue by Ashe (authentic material not located) states that the inflorescences are glabrous and the sepals are nearly entire, causing confusion with C. tenuifolia Britton (ser. Tenuifoliae). Current usage for C. holmesiana became fixed after Ashe erected a var. villosa with serrate sepals and villous inflorescences.

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

Crataegus gilva occurs from Mississippi to Georgia and northern Florida. The leaves are rather like those of C. mendosa, but with an acuminate leaf apex, much sharper lobes (when present) and marginal teeth, and somewhat resemble a less clearly lobed C. pinetorum. The leaves are also usually somewhat like those of C. sargentii but narrower. In the flowering type, they are narrowly elliptic, with cuneate bases, virtually devoid of lobes, with particularly large marginal teeth and acuminate apices, this being the most extreme specimen of the species seen. The suspicion that C. gilva may represent an extreme form of C. sargentii is heightened by the almost complete lack of known fruiting specimens of the species, the fruiting co-type excepted (Harbison 4374/2); nevertheless, that specimen suggests the possibility that the leaves are often wider after anthesis. Crataegus agrestina Beadle, known only from a syntype specimen, is similar.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 560. FNA vol. 9, p. 582.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Coccineae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Pulcherrimae
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. 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. 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. 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. anomala, C. eamesii, C. elongata, C. holmesiana var. villipes, C. pura, C. sertata, C. tardipes C. sargentii var. gilva
Name authority Ashe: J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 16: 78. (1900) Beadle: Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 60. (1902)
Web links