267 Species in Genus Crataegus

December 7 – Crataegus
"Crataegus, the hawthorn, defines December 7."
Crataegus symbolizes protection and resilience. You stand as a guardian for those you care about, offering strength and protection. Like its thorny branches, you guard your loved ones fiercely and with loyalty.

The Thorny Allure of Crataegus

My name is Ferb Vu, and I’ve always been drawn to the unassuming beauty of the Crataegus genus. These plants, commonly known as hawthorns, quickthorns, or thornapples, possess a unique charm that often goes unnoticed amidst flashier blooms. But for those who take the time to look closer, Crataegus offers a world of intricate beauty and quiet strength.

I remember the first time I truly encountered a hawthorn. It was during a childhood walk in a local park. The tree stood at the edge of a meadow, its branches gnarled and twisted, yet somehow graceful. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with shifting patterns of light and shadow. Tiny white flowers, clustered in delicate sprays, adorned the branches, their fragrance mingling with the fresh scent of the grass. Even then, I felt a sense of connection to this unassuming tree, a feeling that has only deepened over time.

A Tapestry of Diversity

Crataegus, a member of the Rosaceae family, is a diverse genus encompassing hundreds of species. These hardy shrubs and trees are native to temperate regions across the Northern Hemisphere, thriving in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. Their diversity is truly remarkable, with each species exhibiting unique characteristics in terms of size, shape, leaf form, flower color, and fruit.

1. Crataegus aestivalis (Walter) Torr. & A.Gray
2. Crataegus alabamensis Beadle
3. Crataegus × albanica Pojark.
4. Crataegus alleghaniensis Beadle
5. Crataegus ambigua C.A.Mey. ex A.K.Becker
6. Crataegus × amicta Ashe
7. Crataegus aprica Beadle
8. Crataegus aquacervensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
9. Crataegus × armena Pojark.
10. Crataegus ashei Beadle
11. Crataegus × atrorubens Ashe
12. Crataegus atrovirens J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
13. Crataegus aurantia Pojark.
14. Crataegus aurescens J.B.Phipps
15. Crataegus austromontana Beadle
16. Crataegus azarolus L.
17. Crataegus baroussana Eggl.
18. Crataegus beadlei Ashe
19. Crataegus beata Sarg.
20. Crataegus berberifolia Torr. & A.Gray
21. Crataegus × bicknellii (Eggl.) Eggl.
22. Crataegus × bornmuelleri Zabel ex K.I.Chr. & Ziel.
23. Crataegus brachyacantha Sarg. & Engelm.
24. Crataegus brazoria Sarg.
25. Crataegus × brevipes Peck
26. Crataegus calpodendron (Ehrh.) Medik.
27. Crataegus × canescens (J.B.Phipps) T.A.Dickinson & E.Y.Y.Lo
28. Crataegus castlegarensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
29. Crataegus caucasica K.Koch
30. Crataegus × chersonensis K.I.Chr.
31. Crataegus chlorocarpa Lenné & K.Koch
32. Crataegus chlorosarca Maxim.
33. Crataegus chrysocarpa Ashe
34. Crataegus chungtienensis W.W.Sm.
35. Crataegus × cispontica Ufimov
36. Crataegus clarkei Hook.f.
37. Crataegus coccinea L.
38. Crataegus coccinioides Ashe
39. Crataegus cognata Sarg.
40. Crataegus × cogswellii K.I.Chr. & T.A.Dickinson
41. Crataegus coleae Sarg.
42. Crataegus × collicola Ashe
43. Crataegus collina Chapm.
44. Crataegus compacta Sarg.
45. Crataegus condigna Beadle
46. Crataegus coriifolia Sharifnia & Zarrink.
47. Crataegus corusca Sarg.
48. Crataegus crus-galli L.
49. Crataegus cuneata Siebold & Zucc.
50. Crataegus cupressocollina J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
51. Crataegus cuprina J.B.Phipps
52. Crataegus dahurica (Dieck) Koehne
53. Crataegus delawarensis Sarg.
54. Crataegus × desueta Sarg.
55. Crataegus dispar Beadle
56. Crataegus × disperma Ashe
57. Crataegus × dispessa Ashe
58. Crataegus distincta Kruschke
59. Crataegus dodgei Ashe
60. Crataegus douglasii Lindl. Plant FAQs: Douglas Hawthorn – Crataegus Douglasii
61. Crataegus dsungarica Zabel ex Lange
62. Crataegus dzhairensis Vassilcz.
63. Crataegus enderbyensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
64. Crataegus erythrocarpa Ashe
65. Crataegus erythropoda Ashe
66. Crataegus fecunda Sarg.
67. Crataegus ferganensis Pojark.
68. Crataegus flabellata (Bosc ex Spach) K.Koch
69. Crataegus flava Aiton
70. Crataegus floridana Sarg.
71. Crataegus florifera Sarg.
72. Crataegus fluviatilis Sarg.
73. Crataegus forbesiae Sarg.
74. Crataegus × fretalis Sarg.
75. Crataegus gattingeri Ashe
76. Crataegus gaylussacia A.Heller
77. Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze
78. Crataegus glareosa Ashe
79. Crataegus gracilior J.B.Phipps
80. Crataegus granatensis Boiss.
81. Crataegus grandifolia J.B.Phipps
82. Crataegus greggiana Eggl.
83. Crataegus gregorianii Gabrieljan & Sargsyan
84. Crataegus grossidentata Sharifnia & K.I.Chr.
85. Crataegus harbisonii Beadle
86. Crataegus hatamii Hamzehee, K.I.Chr. & Attar
87. Crataegus heldreichii Boiss.
88. Crataegus heterophylla Flüggé
89. Crataegus heterophylloides Pojark. ex K.I.Chr.
90. Crataegus hissarica Pojark.
91. Crataegus holmesiana Ashe
92. Crataegus × hudsonica Sarg.
93. Crataegus hupehensis Sarg.
94. Crataegus × ideae Sarg.
95. Crataegus incaedua Sarg.
96. Crataegus indicens Ashe
97. Crataegus intricata Lange
98. Crataegus iracunda Beadle
99. Crataegus irrasa Sarg.
100. Crataegus isfajramensis Pachom.
101. Crataegus jesupii Sarg.
102. Crataegus johnstonii J.B.Phipps
103. Crataegus jonesiae Sarg.
104. Crataegus kansuensis E.H.Wilson
105. Crataegus karadaghensis Pojark.
106. Crataegus kelloggii Sarg.
107. Crataegus × kennedyi Sarg.
108. Crataegus khatamsazae Hamzehee, K.I.Chr. & Attar
109. Crataegus × killinica K.I.Chr.
110. Crataegus knorringiana Pojark.
111. Crataegus kurdistanica Hadač & Chrtek
112. Crataegus × kyrtostyla Fingerh.
113. Crataegus laciniata Ucria
114. Crataegus lacrimata Small
115. Crataegus laevigata (Poir.) DC. Plant FAQs: Crataegus Laevigata – English Hawthorn
116. Crataegus × lambertiana Lange
117. Crataegus × laneyi Sarg.
118. Crataegus lanuginosa Sarg.
119. Crataegus lassa Beadle
120. Crataegus latebrosa Sarg.
121. Crataegus leonensis E.J.Palmer
122. Crataegus longipes Pojark.
123. Crataegus lucorum Sarg.
124. Crataegus lumaria Ashe
125. Crataegus macracantha (Lindl.) Lodd. ex Loudon
126. Crataegus × macrocarpa Hegetschw.
127. Crataegus macrosperma Ashe
128. Crataegus magniflora Sarg.
129. Crataegus × maligna Sarg.
130. Crataegus margaretta Ashe
131. Crataegus marshallii Eggl.
132. Crataegus maximowiczii C.K.Schneid.
133. Crataegus × media Bechst.
134. Crataegus menandiana Sarg.
135. Crataegus mexicana Moc. & Sessé ex DC.
136. Crataegus meyeri Pojark.
137. Crataegus microphylla K.Koch
138. Crataegus mollis (Torr. & A.Gray) Scheele
139. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. Plant FAQs: Crataegus Monogyna – Common Hawthorn
140. Crataegus munda Beadle
141. Crataegus nananixonii J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
142. Crataegus necopinata Pojark.
143. Crataegus nelsonii Eggl.
144. Crataegus neobushii Sarg.
145. Crataegus nigra Waldst. & Kit.
146. Crataegus × ninae-celottiae K.I.Chr. & T.A.Dickinson
147. Crataegus nitida (Engelm. ex Britton & N.E.Br.) Sarg.
148. Crataegus nitidula Sarg.
149. Crataegus × notha Sarg.
150. Crataegus okanaganensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
151. Crataegus okennonii J.B.Phipps
152. Crataegus opaca Hook. & Arn.
153. Crataegus opulens Sarg.
154. Crataegus orbicularis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
155. Crataegus oreophila Lance
156. Crataegus oresbia W.W.Sm.
157. Crataegus orientalis Pall. ex M.Bieb.
158. Crataegus ouachitensis E.J.Palmer
159. Crataegus padifolia Sarg.
160. Crataegus pallasii Griseb.
161. Crataegus pamiroalaica Zaprjagaeva
162. Crataegus pearsonii Ashe
163. Crataegus × peloponnesiaca Byatt
164. Crataegus pennsylvanica Ashe
165. Crataegus pentagyna Waldst. & Kit. ex Willd.
166. Crataegus pequotorum Sarg.
167. Crataegus persimilis Sarg.
168. Crataegus petrodavisii Dönmez
169. Crataegus phaenopyrum (L.f.) Medik. Plant FAQs: Crataegus Phaenopyrum – Washington Hawthorn
170. Crataegus phippsii O’Kennon
171. Crataegus × pilosa Sarg.
172. Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge
173. Crataegus pisifera Sarg.
174. Crataegus pontica K.Koch
175. Crataegus populnea Ashe
176. Crataegus prona Ashe
177. Crataegus pruinosa (H.L.Wendl.) K.Koch
178. Crataegus × pseudoazarolus Popov
179. Crataegus pseudoheterophylla Pojark.
180. Crataegus pseudosanguinea Popov ex Pojark.
181. Crataegus × puberis Sarg.
182. Crataegus pulcherrima Ashe
183. Crataegus punctata Jacq. Plant FAQs: Crataegus Punctata – Dotted Hawthorn
184. Crataegus purpurella J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
185. Crataegus putata Sarg.
186. Crataegus pycnoloba Boiss. & Heldr.
187. Crataegus × radnoti-gyarmatii Ker.-Nagy
188. Crataegus ravida Ashe
189. Crataegus remotilobata Raikova ex Popov
190. Crataegus reverchonii Sarg.
191. Crataegus rhipidophylla Gand.
192. Crataegus rhodamae-loveae T.A.Dickinson
193. Crataegus rivularis Nutt.
194. Crataegus rivuloadamensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
195. Crataegus rivulopugnensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
196. Crataegus roribacca Ashe
197. Crataegus rosei Eggl.
198. Crataegus rubella Beadle
199. Crataegus rubribracteolata J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
200. Crataegus × rubrinervis Lange
201. Crataegus × rubrocarnea Sarg.
202. Crataegus × rufula Sarg.
203. Crataegus × rupicola Sarg.
204. Crataegus × ruscinonensis Gren. & Blanc
205. Crataegus russanovii Cinovskis
206. Crataegus sakranensis Hadač & Chrtek
207. Crataegus saligna Greene
208. Crataegus sanguinea Pall.
209. Crataegus sargentii Beadle
210. Crataegus scabrida Sarg.
211. Crataegus scabrifolia (Franch.) Rehder
212. Crataegus schizophylla Eggl.
213. Crataegus schuettei Ashe
214. Crataegus senta Beadle
215. Crataegus shandongensis F.Z.Li & W.D.Peng
216. Crataegus sheila-phippsiae J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
217. Crataegus shensiensis Pojark.
218. Crataegus sheridana A.Nelson
219. Crataegus shinnersii Kruschke
220. Crataegus shuswapensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
221. Crataegus silvestris Sarg.
222. Crataegus × simulata Sarg.
223. Crataegus × sinaica Boiss.
224. Crataegus songarica K.Koch
225. Crataegus spathulata Michx.
226. Crataegus × spatiosa Sarg.
227. Crataegus spes-aestatum J.B.Phipps
228. Crataegus sphaenophylla Pojark.
229. Crataegus spissa Sarg.
230. Crataegus stankovii Kossych
231. Crataegus stevenii Pojark.
232. Crataegus subheterophylla P.D.Sell
233. Crataegus submollis Sarg.
234. Crataegus suborbiculata Sarg.
235. Crataegus succulenta Schrad. ex Link
236. Crataegus suksdorfii (Sarg.) Kruschke
237. Crataegus sulfurea J.B.Phipps
238. Crataegus talyschensis Pojark. ex Ufimov
239. Crataegus tanacetifolia (Poir.) Pers.
240. Crataegus tanuphylla Sarg.
241. Crataegus tenuior J.B.Phipps
242. Crataegus texana Buckley
243. Crataegus theodori Essenova
244. Crataegus thermopegaea E.J.Palmer
245. Crataegus tianschanica Pojark.
246. Crataegus tinctoria Ashe
247. Crataegus tkatschenkoi K.I.Chr.
248. Crataegus tracyi Ashe ex Eggl.
249. Crataegus triflora Chapm.
250. Crataegus turkestanica Pojark.
251. Crataegus turnerorum Enquist
252. Crataegus tzvelevii Ufimov
253. Crataegus umbratilis Sarg.
254. Crataegus uniflora Münchh.
255. Crataegus ursopedensis J.B.Phipps & R.O’Kennon
256. Crataegus × vailiae Britton
257. Crataegus vegeta Sarg.
258. Crataegus venusta Beadle
259. Crataegus viridis L. Plant FAQs: Crataegus Viridis – Green Hawthorn
260. Crataegus warneri Sarg.
261. Crataegus wattiana Hemsl. & Lace
262. Crataegus whitakeri Sarg.
263. Crataegus wilsonii Sarg.
264. Crataegus wootoniana Eggl.
265. Crataegus yaltirikii Dönmez
266. Crataegus × yosgatica K.I.Chr.
267. Crataegus × zangezura Pojark.

More Than Just Thorns

While Crataegus is often associated with its thorny branches, these plants offer much more than just protection. Their spring blossoms, ranging from pure white to shades of pink and red, provide a vital source of nectar for pollinators. The resulting fruits, known as haws, offer sustenance to birds and other wildlife throughout the fall and winter months.

Beyond their ecological importance, hawthorns have a long history of human use. The fruits of certain species, particularly Crataegus pinnatifida, are edible and have been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, including heart conditions. The wood of hawthorn is strong and durable, making it suitable for crafting tools and implements. And of course, the aesthetic value of Crataegus is undeniable, with many species cultivated for their ornamental beauty in gardens and landscapes.

A Symbol of Resilience

For me, Crataegus represents resilience and adaptability. These plants thrive in a variety of conditions, from harsh, exposed slopes to fertile woodlands. They withstand drought, wind, and even fire, their tenacious spirit a testament to their enduring nature. Their thorny armor serves as a reminder that even the most delicate beauty can be protected by strength and resilience.

As I continue to explore the world of Crataegus, I am constantly amazed by its diversity and complexity. Each encounter with a hawthorn deepens my appreciation for this remarkable genus, reminding me of the interconnectedness of nature and the enduring power of the natural world.