Red Haw, Downy hawthorn
Crataegus mollis

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Lavender, Pink, White. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal.

Crataegus mollis is a deciduous Tree growing to 9 m (29ft) by 12 m (39ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Midges. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Height (m): 9

Where it is found

Open woods, usually in alluvial or fertile soils. Frequently found in limestone soils.

Eastern and Central N. America - Ontario to Alabama, west to Oklahoma.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw or cooked. Sub-acid, dry and mealy. The fruit is also used for making jellies and preserves. Fairly large, it is about 20 - 25mm in diameter, with a thick flesh. There are up to five fairly large seeds in the centre of the fruit, these often stick together and so the effect is of eating a cherry-like fruit with a single seed. A tea-like beverage can be made from the twigs.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, the fruits and flowers of many hawthorns are well-known in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic and modern research has borne out this use. The fruits and flowers have a hypotensive effect as well as acting as a direct and mild heart tonic. They are especially indicated in the treatment of weak heart combined with high blood pressure. Prolonged use is necessary for it to be efficacious. It is normally used either as a tea or a tincture.

Cardiotonic: A tonic for the heart.

Hypotensive: Reduces blood pressure, it is used in the treatment of high blood pressure

Other

Rating: 2

The plant is tolerant of being trimmed and will even resprout if cut back into very old wood. It can be used as a hedge. Wood - heavy, hard, tough, close-grained. Useful for making tool handles, mallets and other small items.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Espalier: A tree or other plant that is trained to grow flat against a support (such as a trellis or wall).

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Hedge: Hedge

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Espalier, Pollard, Specimen, Street tree. A very easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained moisture retentive loamy soil but is not at all fussy. Once established, it succeeds in excessively moist soils and also tolerates drought. It grows well on a chalk soil and also in heavy clay soils. A position in full sun is best when plants are being grown for their fruit, they also succeed in semi-shade though fruit yields and quality will be lower in such a position. Most members of this genus succeed in exposed positions, they also tolerate atmospheric pollution. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -18°c. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year. The flowers have a foetid smell somewhat like decaying fish. This attracts midges which are the main means of fertilization. When freshly open, the flowers have more pleasant scent with balsamic undertones. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted. A very ornamental plant, the branches are almost thornless. A rather variable species, it has been separated into several different species by some botanists. This species is much confused with C. chrysocarpa and with C. coccinea. It is very closely related to C. submollis, differing in having 20 stamens to a flower (as compared to 10 in C. submollis). Special Features: North American native, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 6 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down.

Propagating it: Seed - this is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame, some of the seed will germinate in the spring, though most will probably take another year. Stored seed can be very slow and erratic to germinate, it should be warm stratified for 3 months at 15°c and then cold stratified for another 3 months at 4°c. It may still take another 18 months to germinate. Scarifying the seed before stratifying it might reduce this time. Fermenting the seed for a few days in its own pulp may also speed up the germination process. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (as soon as the embryo has fully developed but before the seedcoat hardens) and sow it immediately in a cold frame. If timed well, it can germinate in the spring. If you are only growing small quantities of plants, it is best to pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in individual pots for their first year, planting them out in late spring into nursery beds or their final positions. When growing larger quantities, it might be best to sow them directly outdoors in a seedbed, but with protection from mice and other seed-eating creatures. Grow them on in the seedbed until large enough to plant out, but undercut the roots if they are to be left undisturbed for more than two years.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

C. coccinea mollis.