Flora of North America species comparison

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 integra extends from Alabama to South Carolina and is concentrated in the northern half of peninsular Florida. The species is one of the more common members of ser. Lacrimatae in its main area of distribution.

Crataegus integra is relatively variable in leaf shape and is notable for its almost entire leaf blades, the margins of which often have numerous, barely detectible teeth. This species often displays a considerable variety of leaf size even on one short shoot and has more venous leaves than many species of ser. Lacrimatae. One of the most different entities in the C. integra complex is C. sodalis (= C. dolosa). It has densely glandular petioles, denticulate leaf margins, short-shoot leaves broadly elliptic to broadly obovate, and rather large suborbiculate extension-shoot leaves, and perhaps should be considered part of C. alabamensis. It is concentrated in south-central Alabama. Crataegus integra differs from the C. illudens form of C. lassa in its proportionately narrower and usually shorter leaves, lacking the distinctive cuneate-cuspidate shape of C. lassa but also sometimes obscurely subterminally lobed. Crataegus integra is particularly common in the northern half of peninsular Florida, where C. lassa is rare. Crataegus constans Beadle, with less copious inflorescence tomentum, longer petioles, and proportionately larger and thinner leaves, is perhaps a shade form of C. integra.

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