Crataegus rivularis |
Crataegus brachyacantha |
|
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mountain river hawthorn, river hawthorn |
blueberry haw, blueberry hawthorn, hoghaw, pomette bleue |
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Habit | Shrubs or trees, 30–50 dm. | Shrubs or trees, 60–100(–150) dm. |
Stems | twigs: new growth greenish, sparsely pubescent, early glabrescent, 1–2-years old often red-purple; bark on younger 2–5 cm thick branches dark gray-brown, sometimes copper-colored; thorns on twigs straight or ± recurved, 2-years old black or purple-black, glossy, fine, 1.5–4 cm. |
trunk bark dark gray-brown, plated; thorns on twigs absent or present, recurved, short, to 1.5 cm. |
Leaves | petiole 1–2.5 cm, glabrous; blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 3–8 cm, length 2+ times width, thin, base cuneate, lobes 0 or small apiculi at ends of some vein tips, margins serrate, teeth numerous, usually acute, fine to coarse, venation semicamptodromous, veins 4 or 5 per side, larger often branched proximal to ends, apex acute, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial appressed-strigose young. |
petiole length 15–30% blade; blade elliptic, 2–3 cm, coriaceous, shiny, lobes 0, margins crenate, venation camptodromous, veins 5 or 6(–8) per side, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial sparingly appressed-hairy, hairy on midvein, sometimes to sinuses. |
Inflorescences | 6–12-flowered; branches glandular-punctate; bracteoles early caducous, usually present, margins sessile-glandular. |
15–25-flowered; branches glabrous; bracteoles caducous, narrow, small, membranous, margins eglandular, nearly glabrous. |
Flowers | 14–17 mm diam.; sepals broadly deltate, 6–8 mm, margins entire, apex narrow, glabrous; stamens 10, anthers pink, sometimes ivory; styles 3–5. |
12 mm diam.; hypanthium glabrous; sepals triangular, 1.5 mm; stamens 20, anthers cream to orange, 0.5 mm; styles 4 or 5. |
Pomes | deep red (mid Aug), black or blackish purple mature, suborbicular, 10 mm diam.; sepals ± erect to strongly outcurved or ± patent, 2–3 mm; pyrenes 3 or 4, sides eroded. |
black to bluish black, pruinose, oblate-orbiculate, 8–14 mm diam.; flesh mealy; fruiting calyx suberect, on small collar, sepal tips often reflexed; pyrenes 4 or 5, dorsally slightly grooved, sides plane. |
2n | = 34, 51. |
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Crataegus rivularis |
Crataegus brachyacantha |
|
Phenology | Flowering mid May–early Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep. | Flowering Apr; fruiting Sep–Nov. |
Habitat | Intermontane streamsides, ditches, flood plains | Wet prairies, alluvial flats, well-drained mesic sites, woodland margins |
Elevation | 1300–2300 m (4300–7500 ft) | 10–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CO; ID; NM; NV; UT; WY
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AR; GA; LA; MS; OK; TX
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Discussion | Crataegus rivularis is most abundant in intermontane Colorado and Utah and is one of two hawthorns found in Arizona; it is rare in Nevada. There are reports from northwestern Texas (for example, D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970); they have not been verified. Crataegus rivularis is one of the more common woody species of mesic, valley bottom intermontane habitats. The species flowers early. Crataegus rivularis is superficially similar to the more or less sympatric, less common, C. saligna; it has larger leaves with fewer veins, larger flowers with ten stamens, and larger pomes. It differs from C. erythropoda little other than in leaf shape and ripe fruit color. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Crataegus brachyacantha occurs throughout Louisiana, where it is locally common, and in the adjacent parts of all surrounding states. A disjunct population was known in Georgia but it cannot be found there now. The species is seemingly more shade tolerant than many other hawthorns. Crataegus brachyacantha is among the taller hawthorns in North America; its petals turn orange with age or on drying. The short, recurved thorns and bitter, oblate-orbiculate, black fruit also are distinctive and help to distinguish C. brachyacantha from C. saligna of Colorado and Utah (ser. Cerrones), which is similar in foliage and flower. The names blueberry haw and pomette bleue may have a special appropriateness about late August when the waxy covering of the fruit is still thick and the underlying color is a dark purple. At maturity, the flesh is thin and bitter and the skin usually black. The fall foliage, brilliant lustrous orange, bronze, and red, suggests potential ornamental use. Forma leucocarpa Sargent is a white-fruited form, which was collected by E. J. Palmer at Natchitoches, Louisiana, September 1915; it is the only recorded white-fruited hawthorn. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 510. | FNA vol. 9, p. 501. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Douglasia > ser. Cerrones | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Brevispinae > ser. Brevispinae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 464. (1840) | Sargent & Engelmann: Bot. Gaz. 7: 128. (1882) |
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