Practical
Plants

Crataegus chrysocarpa

Fireberry Hawthorn

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Crataegus genus in the family Rosaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rosaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
6 m
Fertility
Midges
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Midges

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2][4]. Used mainly as a famine food[8]. A very pleasant flavour when ripe, with the added bonus of ripening in late summer before most other members of the genus[K]. The fruit can be used in making pies, preserves, etc, and can also be dried for later use. It is about 1cm in diameter and borne in small clusters[5]. There are up to five fairly large seeds in the centre of the fruit, these often stick together and so the effect is of eating a cherry-like fruit with a single seed[K]. A tea can be made from the twigs[8]. (This probably means the young shoots with leaves[K].)

Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A decoction of the dried berries has been used as a mild laxative[8]. A compound decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[8]. Although no other specific mention has been seen for this species, the fruits and flowers of many hawthorns are well-known in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic and modern research has borne out this use. The fruits and flowers have a hypotensive effect as well as acting as a direct and mild heart tonic[6]. They are especially indicated in the treatment of weak heart combined with high blood pressure[6]. Prolonged use is necessary for it to be efficacious[6]. It is normally used either as a tea or a tincture[6].

Product or use
Cardiotonic
Product or use
Hypotensive
Product or use
Laxative

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Wood - heavy, hard, tough, close-grained. Useful for making tool handles, mallets and other small items[12].

Environment

Range
North-eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Pennsylvania, west to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat
Thickets and rocky ground along streams[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerances
high wind, drought
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - this is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame, some of the seed will germinate in the spring, though most will probably take another year. Stored seed can be very slow and erratic to germinate, it should be warm stratified for 3 months at 15°c and then cold stratified for another 3 months at 4°c[3]. It may still take another 18 months to germinate[10]. Scarifying the seed before stratifying it might reduce this time[11]. Fermenting the seed for a few days in its own pulp may also speed up the germination process[K]. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (as soon as the embryo has fully developed but before the seedcoat hardens) and sow it immediately in a cold frame. If timed well, it can germinate in the spring[11]. If you are only growing small quantities of plants, it is best to pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in individual pots for their first year, planting them out in late spring into nursery beds or their final positions. When growing larger quantities, it might be best to sow them directly outdoors in a seedbed, but with protection from mice and other seed-eating creatures. Grow them on in the seedbed until large enough to plant out, but undercut the roots if they are to be left undisturbed for more than two years.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A very easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained moisture retentive loamy soil but is not at all fussy[1][5]. Once established, it succeeds in excessively moist soils and also tolerates drought[5]. It grows well on a chalk soil and also in heavy clay soils[5]. A position in full sun is best when plants are being grown for their fruit, they also succeed in semi-shade though fruit yields and quality will be lower in such a position[1][5]. Most members of this genus succeed in exposed positions, they also tolerate atmospheric pollution[5]. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year[K]. A ten year old tree was seen at Kew Gardens in 2002. It was about 2.5 metres tall and was bearing a very good crop of fruit[K]. The flowers have a foetid smell somewhat like decaying fish. This attracts midges which are the main means of fertilization. When freshly open, the flowers have more pleasant scent with balsamic undertones[7]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[5]. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted[1].

References

  1. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

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  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  6. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  8. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  9. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  10. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  11. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2

  12. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩

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