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- Crataegus macrosperma
Crataegus macrosperma — large-seeded hawthorn
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Facts
Like other hawthorns (Crataegus), large-seeded hawthorn has edible fruits. The genus name, Crataegus, derives from the Greek word "kratos," which means strength, referring to the very strong wood of hawthorn, which is sometimes used to make tool handles.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, meadows and fields, shrublands or thickets
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Growth form
-
- the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 45–62 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Bark texture
-
- the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- red
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Bundle scar number
- 3
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Leaf scar arrangement
- there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
- Winter bud scale hairs
- the winter bud scales have no hairs on them
- Winter bud shape
- the winter buds are globose (spherical, globe-shaped)
- Winter bud stalks
- the winter buds have no stalks
-
Flowers
- Anther color
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- white
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence hairs
- there are no hairs on the inflorescence
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescences grow on the twigs
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a corymb (with long lower branches and shorter upper branches, giving it a more or less flat-topped look)
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
-
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Sepal tip glands
- there are no glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases
- Stamen number
-
- 10
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- red
- Fruit tissue origin
- the hypanthium of the flower becomes part of the fruit
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
-
- the plant is a shrub (a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf has no hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade base symmetry
- the leaf blade base is symmetrical
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
- Leaf blade hairs
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 45–62 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
- Leaf blade texture
-
- the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
- the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf blade vein pattern
- the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
- Leaf blade veins
- the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf midrib glands
- the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
- Leaf stalk nectaries
-
- the leaf stalk has nectaries on it
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk shape
- the leaf stalk is not flattened
- Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is undulate (wavy), but does not have teeth
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shrublands or thickets
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
-
- the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Pith shape
- the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
- Short shoots
- there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
- Twig bloom
- there is no bloom on the twig
- Twig hairs
- the twigs have few or no hairs on them
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig scales
- there are no scales on the twig surface
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- red
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
32. Crataegus macrosperma Ashe N
large-seeded hawthorn. Crataegus ascendens Sarg.; C. culta Sarg.; C. florea Sarg.; C. macrosperma Ashe var. acutiloba (Sarg.) Egglest.; C. macrosperma Ashe var. matura (Sarg.) Egglest.; C. macrosperma Ashe var. pentandra (Sarg.) Egglest.; C. macrosperma Ashe var. roanensis (Ashe) Palmer; C. matura Sarg.; C. monstrata Sarg.; C. napaea Sarg.; C. paddockeae Sarg.; C. pentandra Sarg.; C. randiana Sarg.; C. roanensis Ashe; C. serena Sarg.; C. viridimontana Sarg. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forest edges, successional fields, roadsides, early successional forests, forest clearings.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Crataegus flabellata:
- inflorescence sparsely hairy and fruit spherical or nearly so (vs. C. macrosperma, with the inflorescence without hairs and fruit spherical to obviously taller than wide). Crataegus pruinosa: flowers with 12-20 stamens and upper surface of leaf blade without minute hairs for most of growing season (vs. C. macrosperma, with flowers with 5-10 stamens and upper surface of leaf blade with minute hairs for much of growing season).
Synonyms
- Crataegus ascendens Sarg.
- Crataegus culta Sarg.
- Crataegus florea Sarg.
- Crataegus macrosperma var. acutiloba (Sarg.) Egglest.
- Crataegus macrosperma var. matura (Sarg.) Egglest.
- Crataegus macrosperma var. pentandra (Sarg.) Egglest.
- Crataegus macrosperma var. roanensis (Ashe) Palmer
- Crataegus matura Sarg.
- Crataegus monstrata Sarg.
- Crataegus napaea Sarg.
- Crataegus paddockeae Sarg.
- Crataegus pentandra Sarg.
- Crataegus randiana Sarg.
- Crataegus roanensis Ashe
- Crataegus serena Sarg.
- Crataegus viridimontana Sarg.