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forest hawthorn, passionate hawthorn, stolonbearing hawthorn

aubépine de Holmes, Holmes' hawthorn

Habit Shrubs or trees, 30–80 dm. Shrubs or trees, 40–70(–100) dm, single-trunked.
Stems

twigs: new growth greenish, glabrous, 1-year old deep reddish brown, 2-years old grayer;

thorns on twigs 2-years old blackish or dark gray, shiny, slender, 2.5–4 cm.

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

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

Leaves

petiole length 40–50% blade, eglandular;

blade ovate to ovate-deltate, 2–4(–5) cm, 1.2–1.4 times as long as wide, 40–60% mature size at anthesis, base broadly rounded to subtruncate or subcordate, lobes 4 per side, sinuses moderately shallow, lobe apex ca. 90 at tip, often less, margins serrate, teeth regular, 0.5–1 mm, with minute, caducous gland-tipped, veins 3 or 4(or 5) per side, apex acute, abaxial surface glabrous except along veins, adaxial finely appressed-pubescent young.

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.

Inflorescences

4–10-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteoles few, ± linear.

branches usually pubescent, rarely glabrous or tomentose.

Flowers

12–15 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals 4–5 mm, margins ± entire or slightly glandular-serrate, abaxially glabrous;

stamens 10, anthers pink to purple;

styles 3–5.

hypanthium usually pubescent;

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

Pomes

orange to red, or blotched green, suborbicular, 8–10 mm diam.;

sepals spreading;

pyrenes 3–5, dorsally grooved.

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

sepals wide-spreading or erose.

2n

= 34, 51.

Crataegus iracunda

Crataegus holmesiana

Phenology Flowering Apr; fruiting Sep–Oct. Flowering May; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat Open woodlands, brush, fencerows, cutovers Woodland edges, old pastures, fencerows
Elevation 20–300 m (100–1000 ft) 10–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Crataegus iracunda ranges from Louisiana to South Carolina and Georgia, and to Virginia, but only at low altitudes. Nearly all records of C. iracunda north of the listed distribution are referable to C. macrosperma or to various species in ser. Populneae.

The distinguishing features of Crataegus iracunda are most evident when it is in flower. The species can be construed as a smaller, more southern, allopatric relative of C. macrosperma distinguished by smaller leaves (particularly at anthesis), more slender thorns, and harder, drier pomes. Its distribution is almost wholly to the south of or in Appalachia, at lower elevations than C. macrosperma. The nearest records of C. macrosperma to the Louisiana populations of C. iracunda are from the Arkansas Ozarks.

Crataegus iracunda has been confused with C. gattingeri (ser. Pruinosae) but is readily distinguished in flower by adaxial leaf pubescence, stamen number, and by lacking the usually attenuate terminal leaf lobes of the latter. However, in fruit, unless the filament bases can be counted, one is left with the less reliable feature of the terminal lobe shape. Confusion with the larger-leaved C. populnea (ser. Populneae) is perhaps possible, but the two species are essentially allopatric and their leaves differ markedly in size and texture.

Earlier attempts to segregate varieties based on leaf size are not taken up here but may have merit as the relatively numerous Louisiana (Crataegus drymophila) form has much smaller leaves than North Carolina specimens.

Variety brumalis (Ashe) Kruschke (Crataegus brumalis Ashe) with syntype material from near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a different entity. Compared to C. iracunda, it has larger and differently shaped (often more or less truncate-based) leaves, proportionately larger at anthesis, and adaxially subglabrous, conspicuously glandular petioles, and larger flowers. This taxon (as a variety of C. iracunda) is primarily responsible for the northwards extension of the range of the latter species. In fact, north of the Mason-Dixon line, most of the specimens attributed to C. brumalis seen by the author appear to be forms of C. macrosperma.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 563. FNA vol. 9, p. 560.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Tenuifoliae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Coccineae
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. holmesiana, C. ignava, C. incilis, C. integra, C. intricata, C. invicta, 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. 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. drymophila, C. iracunda var. silvicola C. anomala, C. eamesii, C. elongata, C. holmesiana var. villipes, C. pura, C. sertata, C. tardipes
Name authority Beadle: Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 124. (1902) Ashe: J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 16: 78. (1900)
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