Hawthorn Crataegus munda
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Hawthorn:
- Phonetic Spelling
- krah-TEE-gus MUN-duh
- Description
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Dwarf hawthorn is a small, deciduous native shrub with a compact habit found in the southwestern Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont regions of North Carolina. They usually thrive in sandy habitats, open brush, or in pine or oak stands. It is also found in Virginia, as far south as Florida, and as far west as Mississippi. 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. Its dark green leaves are small, wedge-shaped, with rounded, serrated tips. The stems are narrow and have a zigzag pattern, and are loaded with thorns that are usually less than 1 inch long. White, five-petaled flowers appear from late March to April, and red pomes are present from September to October. This shrub is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). The genus name Crataegus is derived from the Greek word kratos, meaning strength, and refers to the plant's hardwood.
This plant prefers drier sites in sandy soils in sun to partial shade. Plants of this genus are usually adaptable to various soil and pH types.
The distinguishing feature of this hawthorn species is its height of usually 3 feet tall, and its short thorns, less than 1 inch long. The hawthorn's flowers attract pollinators, its fruits provide a food source for the birds, and the thorns protect small mammals and birds.
This species is on the watch list with a rating of S3 (vulnerable) per the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
It could potentially be used as a native wildlife plant in a naturalized area. It is not generally commercially sold. In a mass planting, its small size and many thorns make it a formidable security hedge.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Monitor for aphids, borers, fall webworms, Japanese beetles, lace bugs, leaf miners, sawflies, scale, spider mites, and tent caterpillars. Potential diseases include fire blight, cedar-hawthorn rust, cedar-quince rust, apple scab, leaf spot, and powdery mildew.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
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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:
- Native: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- 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
- 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 pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 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:
- The fruit is a small, round, red pome with 1 to 5 pyrenes, resembling the “stones” in related plums or peaches. They are sometimes called the ‘haw’. Matures September through October.
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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:
- There are 1 to 2 flowers per inflorescence with a 5-lobed calyx, 5 petals, and usually 20 stamens (anthers usually white or yellow). Blooms from late March into April. They can have an 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:
- The leaves are dark green, 1 to 1.5 inches long, narrowly obovate to cuneate, or oblanceolate. The base of the leaf is narrowly cuneate. There are 0 or 3 lobes per side distally, and the margins are serrulate-crenate on the distal half of the leaf. One to two veins are on both sides of the leaf. The tip of the leaf is obtuse and rarely acute. The upper surface is shiny and sparsely hairy, but the underside is densely pubescent at the veins.
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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:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- New growth is green with suppressed hairs. The stems have a zigzag pattern and are loaded with thorns less than 1 inch long. Older stems are purple-brown, slender, straight, and have numerous thorns.
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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
