Flora of North America species comparison

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Crataegus phaenopyrum

Crataegus mollis

Washington hawthorn, Washington thorn

downy hawthorn, red haw, red hawthorn
Habit Trees, 40–100 dm. Shrubs or trees, 40–100 dm.
Stems

3-year old twigs shiny, deep reddish brown, older dark gray;

thorns on twigs ± straight, 2–5 cm.

trunk bark fibrous, checked into longitudinal plates, ± exfoliating or rough-corrugated;

compound thorns on trunks frequent in some populations;

twigs: new growth tomentose young, glabrescent, 1-year old tan, older pale gray;

thorns on twigs absent or frequent, rarely plentiful, ± straight or ± recurved, 2-years old blackish brown, graying with age, usually ± stout, 3–6 cm.
Leaves

petiole slender, sometimes both abaxially and adaxially short rusty-tomentose, eglandular;

blade broadly to narrowly deltate, 3–6 cm, base truncate to rarely cuneate or cordate, sometimes very shallowly so, lobes palmately or pinnately 2(or 3) per side, margins serrulate, veins 6 or 7(or 8) per side (to sinuses), apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

petiole length 40–50% blade, tomentose young, tomentose to glabrate mature, usually eglandular;

blade ± elliptic to ± ovate or suborbiculate, 4–8(–12) cm, thin to chartaceous, base truncate to cuneate, lobes 0 or 2–6 per side, sinuses shallow to deep, lobe apex acute to obtuse, margins strongly serrate, teeth eglandular, veins 4–7(–9) per side, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface pubescent young, densely so on veins, adaxial densely scabrous-pubescent young, densely scabrous-pubescent or glabrous mature.
Inflorescences

15–30-flowered, flowers strong-smelling;

branches glabrous;

bracteole margins stipitate-glandular.

5–15-flowered;

branches tomentose;

bracteoles caducous, greenish, linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong, thin, larger ones subherbaceous, narrowly oblong, membranous to subherbaceous, margins short-stipitate or sessile-glandular, multi-veined, abaxially pubescent.
Flowers

10–12 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous;

sepals 2 mm;

stamens 20, anthers ivory;

styles 3(or 4).

20–25 mm diam.;

hypanthium densely tomentose;

sepals narrowly triangular, 6 mm, margins glandular-serrate to glandular-laciniate, abaxially pubescent;

petals white, sometimes pink at late anthesis;

stamens (10 or)20, anthers ivory-cream;

styles (3–)5.
Infructescences

fruiting pedicels pubescent.
Pomes

bright red, sometimes orange-red or deep red, rarely yellow, suborbicular, often tapered at base, 8–14 mm diam., ± tomentose;

sepals obsolescent or erect-patent;

pyrenes (3–)5.
2n

= 51, 68.

Crataegus phaenopyrum

Crataegus mollis
Phenology Flowering Jun; fruiting Sep–Nov.
Habitat Woodland edges, gaps, scrub, damp locations
Elevation 10–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; VA; WA; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; ND; NE; OH; OK; SD; TN; TX; WI; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Crataegus phaenopyrum has a wide native range across the middle latitudes of the United States from Missouri to Maryland and southward but is not particularly abundant. In the northern and western states and Ontario, it is introduced. All alleged specimens for Alabama proved to be wrongly identified (J. B. Phipps 1998).

The flowering season of the Washington thorn is the latest of all North American hawthorns. The species is one of the most widely planted ornamentals in the genus, being elegantly treelike and possessing beautiful, remarkably rust-resistant foliage at all seasons as well as attractive flowers and fruit. Several cultivars are known.

Crataegus cordata (Miller) Aiton 1789 (= Mespilus cordata Miller 1757) was commonly used for C. phaenopyrum until the early 20th century (J. B. Phipps 1999).

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

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

Crataegus mollis is common and widespread west of the Appalachians from eastern South Dakota to extreme southwestern Ontario, to southern Texas and central Alabama. It is rare in the southeastern part of its range. Sporadic records to the east of this are misidentifications or recent introductions.

Crataegus mollis has 20, or, in one unusual form, 10, cream anthers and is distinguished from the superficially similar 10-stamen C. submollis by lack of pedicel glandularity and stamen number and from pink-anthered taxa of restricted range such as C. texana varieties by anther color. Whether C. mollis is truly distinct from the C. texana complex will require biosystematic work. Crataegus mollis is less glandular than the allopatric C. submollis, from which it differs in further ways (see 52. C. submollis). Crataegus canadensis, from Quebec, but with glandular petioles, could key out here and is treated as a form of C. submollis.

Crataegus mollis is variable in leaf shape and size; other characters are more constant. Northern plants are more floriferous, and their trunk bark is more exfoliating than southern ones, which have a more rough-corrugated bark. The leaves are usually shortest and proportionately widest in Texas. Larger and proportionately narrower leaves are found northeastward. The most superficially distinct form is var. incisifolia, with acute lobes and deep sinuses. The lobing varies from very small to absent in var. dumetosa and C. invisa Sargent. Crataegus meridionalis from Alabama and Mississippi is somewhat similar to var. dumetosa but has longer, elliptic to narrowly ovate, sharply serrate, rather coriaceous leaves.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Thorns on twigs few to plentiful; twigs ± strongly flexuous; leaf blades elliptic to narrowly ovate.
var. meridionalis
1. Thorns on twigs absent or few; twigs ± straight; leaf blades ± ovate or suborbiculate to broadly elliptic
→ 2
2. Leaf blades: lobes 4–6 per side, sinuses deep (LII 20–40%).
var. incisifolia
2. Leaf blades: lobes 0 or obscure, or 2–4 per side, sinuses ± shallow (LII 0–20%)
→ 3
3. Pomes yellow.
var. viburnifolia
3. Pomes red
→ 4
4. Leaf blades: lobes 2–4 per side, sinuses shallow (LII 8–20%).
var. mollis
4. Leaf blades: lobes 0 or obscure, sinuses shallow (LII 0–8%).
var. dumetosa
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 499. FNA vol. 9, p. 553.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Crataegus > ser. Cordatae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Molles
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. mollis var. dumetosa, C. mollis var. incisifolia, C. mollis var. meridionalis, C. mollis var. mollis, C. mollis var. viburnifolia
Synonyms Mespilus phaenopyrum, C. youngii C. coccinea var. mollis
Name authority (Linnaeus f.) Medikus: Gesch. Bot., 84. (1793) (Torrey & A. Gray) Scheele: Linnaea 21: 569. (1848)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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