Mayhaw is the name given to the fruit of the species of Crataegus series Aestivales[Phipps, J.B.; O’Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. 2003. Hawthorns and medlars. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, U.K.] that are common in throughout the southern United States. The principal species are C. aestivalis, the eastern mayhaw, and Crataegus opaca, the western mayhaw.[
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Mayhaws grow in moist soil in river and creek bottoms under hardwood trees. The fruit is also found in surrounding lakes, such as Caddo Lake on the Texas/Louisiana border. The fruit ripens in late April through May, thus the name may-haw. Mayhaws are often collected out of the water from boats, and the fruit is used to make fruit preserves.
Families would go on outings to collect mayhaws and create stockpiles of the jelly to last throughout the year, but the tradition has declined with the increasing urbanization of the South and the destruction of the mayhaw's native habitat. The fruit has also been cultivated to grow outside of wetlands, and this is increasingly the source of the jelly.
In culture
Many communities associate themselves with the fruit because of its reputation as a celebrated delicacy of Southern U.S. cuisine. For example, Colquitt, Georgia, holds a mayhaw festival in April. Daisetta, Texas; El Dorado, Arkansas; Marion, Louisiana; and Starks, Louisiana, all celebrate a mayhaw festival each May.
The mayhaw is the state fruit tree of Louisiana.
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