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frosted hawthorn, waxyfruit hawthorn

Habit Shrubs or trees, dense, often suberect, 20–70 dm. Trees, 40–70 dm.
Stems

compound thorns on trunks present;

twigs: new growth reddish brown, 1-year old dull purple-brown, 2-years old dull gray, older paler;

thorns on twigs straight to slightly recurved, 2-years old deep purple to shiny black, usually ± fine, 3–5 cm.

trunk bark dark gray, thin, scaly;

twigs: new growth not recorded, 1-year old mid brown, ± glossy, older dark gray;

thorns on twigs few, 1-year old color not recorded, 3–5 cm.

Leaves

petiole length 50–66% blade, sparsely glandular;

blade trullate to ovate, ovate-oblong, or broadly rhombic, rarely ± deltate, 2–6(–7) cm, subcoriaceous, base broadly cuneate to subtruncate to weakly subcordate, lobes (1–)3 or 4 per side, sinuses shallow to deeper, lobe apex acute, sometimes ± obtuse, margins serrate, veins 5 or 6 per side (except smaller leaves), apex acute, surfaces glabrous (except var. virella).

petiole length 50–60% blade, glandularity not recorded;

blade ovate to broadly elliptic (suborbiculate or broadly deltate on extension shoots), 4–5.5 cm (larger on extension shoots), base broadly cuneate to truncate (truncate to cordate on extension shoots), lobes 0, or 3 or 4 per side, sinuses shallow, lobes often mere apiculi, margins serrate, teeth 1.5–3 mm, veins 6 or 7 per side, apex acuminate, adaxial surface densely crisp-pubescent young, glabrescent.

Inflorescences

5–10-flowered;

branches glabrous, sometimes sparsely villous;

bracteoles caducous, usually few, margins short-stipitate-glandular.

8–20-flowered;

branches glabrous;

bracteoles few, linear.

Flowers

15–25 mm diam.;

sepals narrowly triangular, 5–6 mm, margins usually entire or subentire, rarely glandular-serrate, abaxially glabrous;

stamens (10 or)20, anthers pale pink to bright rose or dull purple, sometimes cream, 0.6–0.8 mm;

styles 3–5.

13–15 mm diam., hypanthium glabrous;

sepal length not recorded, margins entire, abaxially glabrous;

stamens 20, anthers purple;

styles 3.

Pomes

greenish with pink or mauve areas, sometimes bright crimson or scarlet, often rather angular, 10–20 mm diam., highly pruinose, not punctate;

flesh hard;

sepals on collar, spreading;

pyrenes 3–5.

dark red, sometimes with orange or orange-red spots, broadly pyriform, 14–17 mm diam., smooth;

flesh pale yellow;

sepals recurved;

pyrenes 3, dorsally deeply grooved.

Crataegus pruinosa

Crataegus roribacca

Phenology Flowering Apr; fruiting Sep.
Habitat Habitat not recorded
Elevation 600–700 m (2000–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CT; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; ME; MI; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NC
Discussion

Varieties 6 (6 in the flora).

Crataegus pruinosa extends from Arkansas to Wisconsin, through the southern Great Lakes to southern New England, and, in the south, mainly in the Appalachians to northern Georgia.

In the north of its range, Crataegus pruinosa is mainly a shrub of open successional habitats but in the south may commonly be a taller tree of open or thin woodlands.

Many hawthorns have a little waxy bloom on their pomes; it is particularly prominent on Crataegus pruinosa and C. cognata compared to others. Some authors include in C. pruinosa their white-anthered counterparts, here assigned to C. cognata. Whereas C. pruinosa characteristically has entire or subentire sepal margins, some forms in the southwest of the range of the species (for example, C. calliantha Sargent, C. seducta Sargent) may have glandular-serrate sepal margins. They may represent introgression with C. coccinioides. The varieties of C. pruinosa are weakly differentiated from each other, most of them on leaf shape and size characters. The more widespread varieties constitute a range of morphotypes held together by common traits. Crataegus gaudens Sargent is a strikingly distinct form from Pennsylvania that has more or less elliptic leaves with lobes absent; it is clearly related to C. pruinosa. Note that 159. Crataegus ×coleae, a Michigan endemic, will key out here if its laterally scarred pyrenes are missed.

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

Of conservation concern.

Crataegus roribacca was found by Ashe in Swain County; no recent collection is known. The specimen studied (CM 289601) is in excellent condition and has all the hallmarks of ser. Tenuifoliae, although E. J. Palmer (1925) left it unassigned. The leaf differs from those of other members of the series in shape and size of marginal teeth, and from most in vein number. Crataegus roribacca does not seem to be a hybrid, so it is perhaps only an unusual form of C. schuettei.

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

Key
1. Stamens 10.
var. dissona
1. Stamens 20
→ 2
2. Leaf surfaces sparsely short-hairy adaxially young, usually glabrescent; inflorescence branches sometimes sparsely villous.
var. virella
2. Leaf surfaces glabrous adaxially young, sometimes sparsely appressed-hairy along veins; inflorescence branches glabrous
→ 3
3. Leaf blades 5–7 cm, ovate to ovate-deltate, lobes 0 or 1–4 per side, obscure, lobe apices ± obtuse, bases broadly cuneate to subtruncate; anthers cream.
var. magnifolia
3. Leaf blades 2–7 cm, ovate or ovate-oblong to ± deltate or broadly rhombic, lobes 2–4 per side, distinct, lobe apices acute, bases broadly cuneate to subtruncate or truncate to weakly subcordate; anthers pale pink
→ 4
4. Leaf blades 3–7 cm, broadly ovate to deltate, length/width = 1–1.2, bases very broadly cuneate or truncate to weakly subcordate.
var. rugosa
4. Leaf blades 2–6 cm, broadly rhombic, ovate, or ovate-oblong to narrowly deltate, length/width = 1.5, bases broadly cuneate to subtruncate
→ 5
5. Leaf blades ovate or ovate-oblong to narrowly deltate, 4–6 cm, bases broadly cuneate to subtruncate.
var. pruinosa
5. Leaf blades broadly rhombic, 2–4 cm, bases broadly cuneate.
var. parvula
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 574. FNA vol. 9, p. 566.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Pruinosae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Tenuifoliae
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. phaenopyrum, C. phippsii, C. pinetorum, C. populnea, C. prona, 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. 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. 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. pruinosa var. dissona, C. pruinosa var. magnifolia, C. pruinosa var. parvula, C. pruinosa var. pruinosa, C. pruinosa var. rugosa, C. pruinosa var. virella
Synonyms Mespilus pruinosa
Name authority (H. L. Wendland) K. Koch: Hort. Dendrol., 168. (1853) Ashe: J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 17: 4. (1900)
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