Black hawthorn

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, simple, alternate; small
• Almost hairless

Length

• 2–8 cm

Margin

• Sharp teeth of 2 sizes
• Coarsely double-toothed to shallowly lobed

Petiole

• 2 toothed leaf-like stipules at the base

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud broad, rounded, smooth
• 5–10 scales
• Lateral buds similar, somewhat smaller, often 2 or 3 side by side
• One develops into a thorn, the other into a new shoot bearing leaves or flowers, or both
• Leaf scars narrow, somewhat elevated, with 3 vein scars

Colour

• Shiny reddish-brown

Twigs

Form

• Shoots of 2 kinds
• Long shoots straight or zigzag, lustrous, with smooth, shiny, rigid, very sharp thorns that are sometimes branched
• Dwarf shoots often bear terminal flower clusters and fruit

Length

• Thorns less than 3 cm

Colour

• Twigs pale grey to orange-brown

Flowers

Form

• Arranged in flat-topped clusters at the end of dwarf shoots
• Each flower with 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5–25 stamens, and 1–5 pistils
• Very showy
• Odour sweet, fetid

Colour

• Sepals greenish
• Petals white or occasionally pink

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral Timing

• Late spring, with the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Similar to a small apple (a pome) with thin flesh and 1–5 seeds
• Ovoid
• Edible
• Often remain on the tree during winter

Width

• 8–10 mm

Colour

• Dark reddish-purple to black

Seeds

Form

• Germinate after stratification in a cool, moist environment

Seedlings

Form

• Bear 2 small leaf-like cotyledons that are raised above the ground

Bark

Form

• Evenly separated into firm shreds that become loose at both ends

Wood

Texture

• Hard, heavy

Uses

• Carving, turnery

Size

Height

• To 11 m

Tree form

Open-grown

Trunk

• Distinct, crooked
• Sometimes multistemmed and shrubby

Crown

• Low, wide-spreading
• Somewhat rounded or flat-topped

Habitat

Site

• Abandoned farmland, along streams and in forest openings, especially on soils rich in calcium

Light tolerance

• Moderately shade-tolerant

Range

Alberta into Saskatchewan and south to California, with a disjunct occurrence around Lake Superior