Flora of North America species comparison

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Crataegus pruinosa

Crataegus ×rufula

frosted hawthorn, waxyfruit hawthorn

rufous mayhaw
Habit Shrubs or trees, dense, often suberect, 20–70 dm. Shrubs or trees, 30–50 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.

twigs: new growth rusty-tomentose, 1-year old chestnut brown;

thorns on twigs 2-years old dark gray to black, 1–3(–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 10–15% blade;

blade elliptic to ovate, 2.5–4.5 cm, lobes 0 or sinuate (those on rapidly elongating shoots larger, usually proportionately wider than those on short shoots, sinuately lobed), margins entire or barely serrate or crenate in distal 1/3 or 1/2, teeth gland-tipped, veins 3–5 per side, apex subacute to obtuse, abaxial surface densely rufous-tomentose, especially on veins, adaxial densely white- or rufous-tomentose young, scabrous mature.
Inflorescences

5–10-flowered;

branches glabrous, sometimes sparsely villous;

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

2–5-flowered umbels;

branches glabrous or rufous-tomentose;

bracteoles narrow, margins glandular.
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.

± precocious, 15–27.5 mm diam.;

hypanthium glabrous or rufous-tomentose;

sepal margins entire or slightly glandular-serrate;

petals 12 mm;

anthers red;

styles (4 or)5.
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.

red, 10 mm diam.;

sepals short-triangular;

pyrenes 5.
2n

= 34, 51.

Crataegus pruinosa

Crataegus ×rufula
Phenology Flowering Feb–Mar; fruiting May–Jun.
Habitat Seasonally inundated depressions, ditches, sink holes, streamsides
Elevation 10–100 m (0–300 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
AL; FL; GA
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.)

Crataegus ×rufula is restricted to the Florida panhandle and adjacent Georgia and southeastern Alabama.

Crataegus ×rufula is a presumed hybrid between the other two mayhaws or descendants thereof (J. B. Phipps 1988b) as shown by morphometric analyses. Although in some characteristics (for example, the usually sinuate leaf margin) C. ×rufula is like C. opaca, it lacks the characteristic elongate leaves of the latter. Crataegus ×rufula also tends to intergrade with C. aestivalis, with which it is fully sympatric. The frequency of C. aestivalis-like intermediates could well be accounted for by pure C. aestivalis being reasonably common through the C. ×rufula range and C. opaca being scarce there. Some, not all, individuals of C. ×rufula have relatively large flowers. Crataegus ×rufula is locally common and conveniently treated as a species.

(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. 548.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Pruinosae Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Coccineae > ser. Aestivales
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. 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. ×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) Crataegus ×rufula Sargent: J. Arnold Arbor. 1: 251. (1920)
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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