267 Species in Genus Crataegus

Crataegus | Monsteraholic
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.

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