Crataegus mollis, known as downy hawthorn or red hawthorn, is a species of plant that occurs in eastern North America from southeastern North Dakota east to Nova Scotia and southwest to eastern Texas. The range of this species is from southern Ontario and Michigan to eastern North Dakota and southward to Denison, Texas, and Arizona.
Description
This tree grows to high with a dense crown of thorny branches and an ash-grey trunk. The
leaf are in length and often drop in late summer due to
Defoliant by leaf diseases. The tree seems to suffer little from the early loss of its leaves. Among the earliest in the genus to bloom, downy hawthorn also has earliest ripening fruit, which decorate the defoliated tree in late summer and early fall. The large brightly colored edible fruit of the species ripen from the middle of August to early in September.
It is closely related to
Crataegus submollis, but the two species have separate native ranges. Amongst other differences between these two species,
C. submollis has approximately 10
Stamen, whereas
C. mollis has approximately 20 stamens per flower.
[Phipps, J.B., O'Kennon, R.J., Lance, R.W. (2003). Hawthorns and medlars. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, U.K.]
The white are borne in clusters at the end of the branches in spring. The bright red edible fruit ripens in late summer and early fall
This species is a target of . Leaf rusts and fire blight are among the many foliage diseases to affect this species. The sharp thorns are a hazard.
This species is uncommon in cultivation.
The seeds of the species usually do not germinate until two to three years after the fruit has ripened as they have a latent period.
==Gallery==
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Sternberg, G. (2004). Native Trees for North American Landscapes pp. 264. Timber Press, Inc.
