Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; elliptic to ovate; 1-1/2" to 3" long and 2/3's as wide; deciduous; margin serrate and shallowly lobed near the tip; shiny dark green and glabrous above; lighter beneath with some hair on veins; purple to red fall color; petiole 1/2" to 1-1/2" long.

Twigs/buds: Twigs gray-brown; glabrous; thorns 1-1/2" long, often absent.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers perfect, white, 3/4" diameter.  Fruit a 1/4" to 1/3" diameter pome, bright red when mature; persistent into winter.

Bark: Similar to other Crataegus species: dark red to grayish; shreddy, scaly or sometimes blocky when young; weakly furrowed, ridged, scaly, and often fluted or knotted when older.

Wood: Likely similar to other Crataegus species: heartwood reddish-brown, sapwood light-colored; hard, heavy; diffuse-porous, close-grained; used to make handles for tools and canes.

General: Native to the eastern U.S.  Shade intolerant. Thorns or spines that can be dangerous; use thornless varieties if possible.

Landscape Use: Another attractive hawthorn with nicely colored fruit.  Seldom planted in Utah, but worth trying.  Zones 4-8.

Cultivar: 'Winter King'.

Characteristics