Crataegus munda
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Crataegus invicta
- Crataegus pexa
- Phonetic Spelling
- krah-TEE-gus MUN-duh
- Description
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Crataegus, or Hawthorn, is a genus of a tree or shrub that contains many species and varieties found throughout North Carolina from the eastern low swamps and and river bottoms to the western mountain ridges. Crataegus munda, or Dwarf Hawthorn, is a native shrub found in the sand hills of North Carolina south to Florida. It is considered rare in North Carolina and is called Dwarf because it grows only 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, making it the smallest of the hawthorns. White flowers appear in early spring and are followed by reddish pomes that attract birds. The stems are loaded with thorns and provide protection for small mammals and birds. In a mass planting, its small size and many thorns make it a formidable security hedge.
This plant prefers drier sites in sandy soils in sun to partial shade. It could potentially be used as a native wildlife plant in a naturalized area. It is not generally commercially sold.
This Hawthorne serves as a host plant for the larvae of the Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies.
Diseases, Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- var. pexa
- var. pexa
- var. pexa
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- var. pexa
- var. pexa
- var. pexa
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Crataegus
- Species:
- munda
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicines and herbals for cardiovascular health. The wood is strong, tough, and hard, but has little commercial value.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southeastern United States
- Distribution:
- Virginia south to Florida and west to Mississippi
- Wildlife Value:
- Important nectar flower for insects; food plant of many moths including the eggar moth; haws provide winter fruit for songbirds. It is a larval host plant for Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Red-spotted Purple and Viceroy rarely use this host plant in North Carolina. Good nesting habitat with thorns providing protection from predators.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Edible fruit
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Mounding
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Pome
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Small red pome with 1 to 5 pyrenes that resemble the “stones” in related plums, peaches, etc. Sometimes called the ‘haw’. Matures Sept.- Oct.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- One or two flowers per inflorescence with 5-lobed calyx, 5 petals, usually 20 stamens (anthers usually white or yellow). Blooms March-May. Can have unpleasant odor that attracts midges for fertilization.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Cuneate
- Ovate
- Spatulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Lobed
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- One to one and a half inch long leaves are spatulate to cuneate, with a base narrowly cuneate. Tips are rounded, lobes number 0 or 3 per side distally, margins are serrulate-crenate on the distal 1/2 with glandular teeth.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Bark is thin, smooth, and gray. On old stems, it breaks up into narrow scales.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- New growth is green with suppressed hairs. Older stems are purple-brown, slender, straight and have numerous thorns. Stems sometimes winged for half its length.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
