Midland hawthorn, English hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A deciduous tree. It grows 7.5-10 m tall. The trees are rounded and thorny. There are few thorns. The bark is grey and smooth. It cracks with age. The leaves are 5 cm long and across. They are oval. The leaves are glossy and mid green. They have shallow rounded lobes. The flowers are white or pink and occur in clusters. The fruit are round or oval and red. They are 2 cm long. Each fruit has 2 stones. The fruit are edible.

There are 200 or more Crataegus species.

Where it is found

It is native to Europe. It grows in woods and hedgerows. It can grow in a range of soil types and pH values. It can tolerate wet soils as well as drought. Temperate. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain (country/location of origin), Europe, India, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, North Africa, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Türkiye

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten fresh and also used for jams.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. The seed need cold treatment. Plants can also be grafted. Semi-ripe cuttings can be dipped in rooting hormone and planted.

Seedling trees take 5-8 years to start fruiting. A tree can yield 30-60 kg of fruit.

Its other names

Local names

Crveni glog, England Hawthorn, May, Navadni glog, Quickset, White thorn, Wuick set thorn

Synonyms

Crataegus oxycantha sensu auctt., non L.;