Crataegus succulenta |
Crataegus phaenopyrum |
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aubépine succulente, fleshy hawthorn, succulent hawthorn |
Washington hawthorn, Washington thorn |
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Habit | Shrubs or trees, 40–80 dm. | Trees, 40–100 dm. | ||||||||||||||||
Stems | older trunks usually bearing compound thorns; twigs: new growth reddish green, glabrous, 1-year old dark, shiny red-brown, 2–3-years old becoming dark gray, older ± paler gray; thorns on twigs numerous, usually recurved, shiny, 1-year old dark blackish brown, stout, 3–6(–8) cm. |
3-year old twigs shiny, deep reddish brown, older dark gray; thorns on twigs ± straight, 2–5 cm. |
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Leaves | petiole 1–2 cm, narrowly winged distally, glabrous, eglandular; blade rhombic-elliptic to broadly rhombic-ovate or elliptic, 4–7 cm widest near middle, subcoriaceous mature (then often blue-green), base cuneate (constricted), lobes 3–5 per side, obscure to well-marked, sinuses shallow, lobe apex usually subacute to obtuse, margins serrate except proximally, veins 6–8 per side, impressed, apex acute to subacute, rarely obtuse, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial scabrate-pubescent young. |
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. |
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Inflorescences | 15–30-flowered; branches pubescent or glabrous; bracteoles linear, 1.7 cm, margins glandular. |
15–30-flowered, flowers strong-smelling; branches glabrous; bracteole margins stipitate-glandular. |
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Flowers | 12–17 mm diam.; hypanthium glabrous or pubescent; sepals narrowly triangular, 4–6 mm, margins glandular-serrate to glandular-laciniate, abaxially glabrous, adaxial pubescence not recorded; stamens 20, anthers usually red or pink, rarely white, 0.5–0.7 mm; styles 2 or 3. |
10–12 mm diam.; hypanthium glabrous; sepals 2 mm; stamens 20, anthers ivory; styles 3(or 4). |
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Pomes | bright or deep red, lustrous, suborbicular, (4–)7–10(–14) mm diam., glabrous, rarely pubescent; flesh mealy or succulent mature; sepals spreading-reflexed; pyrenes 2 or 3, sides pitted. |
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2n | = 51. |
= 51, 68. |
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Crataegus succulenta |
Crataegus phaenopyrum |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun; fruiting Sep–Nov. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Woodland edges, gaps, scrub, damp locations | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 10–300 m (0–1000 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
CT; IA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC
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AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; VA; WA; WV; ON
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Discussion | Varieties 5 (5 in the flora). Crataegus succulenta ranges through the southern Great Lakes area to the middle St. Lawrence and southern New England, to Minnesota, to Iowa, Missouri (very rare), and Ohio, the Appalachians to North Carolina. An outlier has recently been recognized in Manitoba. The dark twig colors of Crataegus succulenta are dramatic in winter and the coral red expanding bud scales are conspicuous in spring, more so than in most other species of hawthorn except C. macracantha. In summer, its commonly bluish green leaves, eglandular petioles, and impressed venation combine with thorn and twig characteristics to make this and C. macracantha usually instantly recognizable. Crataegus succulenta often forms suckering thickets in the north. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 518. | FNA vol. 9, p. 499. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Macracanthae > ser. Macracanthae | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Crataegus > sect. Crataegus > ser. Cordatae | ||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms | Mespilus phaenopyrum, C. youngii | |||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Schrader ex Link: Handbuch 2: 78. (1831) | (Linnaeus f.) Medikus: Gesch. Bot., 84. (1793) | ||||||||||||||||
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