Practical
Plants

Crataegus laevigata

Midland 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
Growth rate
moderate
Height
6 m
Spread
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[9][26][2][7]. A dry and mealy texture, they are not very appetizing[K]. The fruit can be used for jams and preserves[26]. The fruit pulp can be dried, ground into a meal and mixed with flour in making bread etc[20][7]. The fruit is about 1cm in diameter[10]. 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]. Young leaves and young shoots - raw[21][6]. A tasty nibble, they are nice in a salad[K]. Young leaves are a tea substitute[12][20][6][7]. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[2][12][7].

Product or use
Coffee
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Leaves

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.

Hawthorn is an extremely valuable medicinal herb. It is used mainly for treating disorders of the heart and circulation system, especially angina[16]. Western herbalists consider it a 'food for the heart', it increases the blood flow to the heart muscles and restores normal heart beat[16]. This effect is brought about by the presence of bioflavonoids in the fruit, these bioflavonoids are also strongly antioxidant, helping to prevent or reduce degeneration of the blood vessels[16]. The fruit is antispasmodic, cardiac, diuretic, sedative, tonic and vasodilator[19][26][12][20][4]. Both the fruits and flowers of 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[14]. They are especially indicated in the treatment of weak heart combined with high blood pressure[14], they are also used to treat a heart muscle weakened by age, for inflammation of the heart muscle, arteriosclerosis and for nervous heart problems[12]. Prolonged use is necessary for the treatment to be efficacious[14]. It is normally used either as a tea or a tincture[14]. Hawthorn is combined with ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) to enhance poor memory, working by improving the blood supply to the brain[16]. The bark is astringent and has been used in the treatment of malaria and other fevers[23]. The roots are said to stimulate the arteries of the heart[13].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cardiotonic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Hypotensive
Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Tonic
Product or use
Vasodilator

Material uses

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

A good hedge plant, it is very tolerant of neglect and is able to regenerate if cut back severely, it makes a good thorny stock-proof barrier[8] and resists very strong winds. It can be used in layered hedges[1][17]. The plant is often used as a rootstock for several species of garden fruit such as the medlar (Mespilus germanica) and the pear (Pyrus communis sativa)[19]. Wood - very hard and tough but difficult to work[23][20][22]. It has a fine grain and takes a beautiful polish but is seldom large enough to be of great value[19]. It is used for tool handles and making small wooden articles etc[19][23][20][22]. The wood is valued in turning and makes an excellent fuel, giving out a lot of heat, more so even than oak wood[19]. Charcoal made from the wood is said to be able to melt pig iron without the aid of a blast[19].

Product or use
Charcoal
Product or use
Fuel
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Secondary canopy

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Sweden to Spain, eastwards to Poland.
Habitat
Woods, hedges, thickets etc on clays and heavy loams, especially in E. Britain[5][8]. Where found in hedges it is often as a relict of ancient woodland[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent 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[24]. Scarifying the seed before stratifying it might reduce this time[25]. 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[25]. 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][10]. Once established, it succeeds in excessively moist soils and also tolerates drought[10]. It grows well on a chalk soil and also in heavy clay soils[10]. 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][10]. Most members of this genus succeed in exposed positions, they also tolerate atmospheric pollution[10].. A true woodland species, it grows well in quite dense shade[5][8]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -18°c[11]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[10]. Closely allied to C. monogyna, it often hybridizes with that species in the wild when growing in its proximity[8]. There are many named forms selected for their ornamental value[10]. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year[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[15]. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted[1]. An important food plant for the larvae of many lepidoptera species[18].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  4. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  9. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  10. 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↩8

  11. Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-670-82929-3

    ↩

  12. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  13. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩

  14. 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

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

    ↩

  16. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0900629649

    ↩

  18. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

    ↩

  19. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  20. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  21. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  22. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  23. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  26. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

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