Thornapple Crataegus pruinosa
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Thornapple:
- Phonetic Spelling
- krah-TEE-gus proo-in-NO-suh
- Description
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Crataegus, or Hawthorn, is a genus of shrub or small tree containing many species and varieties distributed across North Carolina from swamps and low river bottoms in the east to higher mountain ridges in the west. Crataegus pruinosa, or Waxy-fruited Hawthorn, is a native shrubby tree in the rose family found over much of the Eastern United States and Canada. It can be variable depending on the part of the country it is found and is sometime considered more than one species. It tends to grow in woodland margins, rocky hillsides, stream banks and roadsides. The species name pruinosa refers to the waxy bloom or frosting on the fruits.
Like most Hawthorns, Waxy-fruited Hawthorn, has 2.5 inch long, straight thorns, white flowers that occur in Spring, and fruit that matures to red and has a whitish waxy coating. The tree branches irregularly and widely and reaches a height of 20 feet with a trunk up to 8 inches across. Waxy-fruited Hawthorn is easy to grow and prefers full or partial sun in well-drained but moist or wet soil conditions in loam or clay-loam soil with some rocky materials. Siting the plant in full sun will encourage fruit quantity, with lower yields in shaded conditions. When grown from seed, trees take from 5 to 8 years before they start bearing fruit; grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year. It tolerates strong winds and drought, but does not do well in maritime conditions with exposure to salt air. This tree is difficult to find sold commercially.
This plant is a host for the larvae of Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies.
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:
No known problems. Cedar-apple rust can discolor and weaken the foliage.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Crataegus
- Species:
- pruinosa
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicines and herbals for cardiovascular health. Wood is strong, heavy, and hard, but with little commercial value.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Grafting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Canada and Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- AR , CT , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV
- Wildlife Value:
- Important nectar flower for insects and other pollinators; food plant of many moths including the eggar moth; haws provide winter fruit for songbirds and mammals. 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
- Edibility:
- Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The flesh is thick, sweet and yellow. The fruit can be used for pies, preserves, and can dried for later use.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Dense
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
- 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)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- 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 reddish to purplish pome with 3 to 5 pyrenes that resemble the “stones” in related plums, peaches, etc. Sometimes called the ‘haw’.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Short-stalked corymbs in the axils of leaves; few flowers per corymb. 3/4 to 1 inch across, 5 petals, 20 stamens with usually pink anthers. Flower blooms from April to May. Unpleasant odor, which 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:
- Deltoid
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Doubly Serrate
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The oval, or wedge-shaped, alternate leaves are 1¼ to 2½ inches long and 1 to 2 inches across, oval-ovate or oval-deltate in shape and widest below the middle. The stems are ¾ to 2 inches in length, green to reddish and hairless. The tip is broadly pointed and base is rounded. Margins are shallowly lobed with 3 to 4 lobes on both sides and doubly serrated. Undersides are pale.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Scaly
- Bark Description:
- Thin gray bark, rough and scaly, fissuring into narrow scales with age.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Scales:
- Enclosed in more than 2 scales
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Young twigs are red-brown, smooth and usually zig-zagged.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Flowering Tree
- Hedge
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Pollution
- Wet Soil
- Wind
