Broad-leaved Cockspurthorn - Crataegus persimilis
Favourite Photos
Species Description
Widespread and scattered throughout the UK; mainly in the South. Habitat includes: gardens, parks, allotments, churchyards, hedgerows, roadside verges, scrub, gravel pits etc. It is often planted and is sometimes bird-sown. Growing habit: Deciduous Perennial. Height: Up to 9 m. Flowers: May. It is native to Eastern North America around Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Virginia and West Virginia. Other names include: Plum-leaved Thorn, Plumleaf Hawthorn.
Stace 4:
Crataegus persimilis Sarg. (C. prunifolia Pers. non (Marshall) Baumg.) - Broad-leaved Cockspurthorn.
Differs from C. crus-galli in hairiness on leaves and inflorescence, wider leaves, and fruits falling in autumn (not spring); (2n=68). Neophyte-survivor; abundantly planted, often grafted on C. monogyna stock, sometimes self-sown in England and Wales, often misnamed C. crus-galli; our plant is cv. Prunifolia.
Key:
- Stamens 5-10(-15); leaves cuneate (<90) at base, toothed but not lobed
- Inflorescence branches densely hairy; fruits bright red, lost from tree before mid winter