Thornapple Crataegus senta
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Thornapple:
Previously known as:
- Crataegus flava
- Phonetic Spelling
- krah-TEE-gus sen-TUH
- Description
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Crataegus, or Hawthorn, is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the rose family containing many species and varieties. Crataegus senta, or Rough Hawthorn is a larger native species, reaching 50 feet in height with a broad, open crown. Although uncommon in North Carolina, it can be found in the mountains in dry pine woods, open scrub and sand plain. Like most hawthorns, Rough Hawthorn has long, straight thorns, white blossoms that bloom in the spring, and edible red fruit that appears in the fall.
Rough hawthorn prefers dry or sandy soils. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies.
Conservation status G2- Critically Imperiled
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:
No known disease or pest issues.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Crataegus
- Species:
- senta
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicines and herbals for cardiovascular health. The wood is strong, tough, and heavy, but has little commercial value.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- N. America: AL, GA, FL, LA, NC, SC
- 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. 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 is edible.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Broad
- Dense
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Appendage:
- Thorns
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- 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 Description:
- Small deep red pome with 3-5 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 Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Inflorescense 3 to 7 flowered. Blooms from April to May. Initial unpleasant odor that attracts midges for pollination.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Cuneate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Spirally arranged on long shoots, roughly pubescent; petiole approx. 30-40% blade; cuneate with 1-2 well-defined lobes per side distally, margins crenate to serrate almost to base.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Fissured
- Scaly
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Thorns on branches straight to slightly recurved; new growth pubescent turning purplish brown to red; bark smooth and gray, fissuring with scales as the tree ages.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Flowering Tree
- Hedge
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Pollution
