Beautiful Hawthorn (Crataegus pulcherrima) and seed collection

The condition of the arboretum's hawthorns is generally poor. We believe this is mostly due to our long local history of cedar-apple rust, which infects Crataegus spp.. As readers of this blog will be well aware, some time ago we made the decision to begin removing eastern red cedars from the arboretum in an attempt to alleviate pressure on the hawthorns.

Today we examined the Pensacola hawthorn (Crataegus lacrimata) and the beautiful hawthorn (Crataegus pulcherrima), both of which can be found on the slope which runs down from Cline and Rotary towards the Fitness Center spillway. The disease appears to have ruined an entire season of reproduction for the Pensacola hawthorn; only shriveled fruits remain attached to the branches of that tree. While it is also in a poor state overall, the beautiful hawthorn successfully bore fruit this fall and we collected a dozen of the berries. From these we will attempt to germinate some replacements for the arboretum. A dozen berries ought to yield about 60 seeds.

Both hawthorns can be seen in this photo, center and left. The Pensacola hawthorn is in the foreground.

This is our beautiful hawthorn. Note the ugly discoloration of the bark in the darker areas. All photos below are of the beautiful hawthorn.

Even from a distance, the beautiful hawthorn isn't looking very good.

Extensive areas lack healthy bark.

The outer bark is missing and the underlying trunk is subjected to rot and insect damage.

Fire ants were swarming up and down the rotten wood of the trunk. What are they doing? Are they damaging the tree or cleaning it? There's really no way to know, but the impression left is a bad one.

Damaged bark is evident all around the specimen.

Some epiphyte or fungus is present over large sections of the branches. While this may not be lethal to the tree, it certainly gives the impression of decay, a weak immune system, and a tree whose best days are behind it.

On the beautiful hawthorn, some healthy berries were present.

We collected more than a dozen. A single seed can be seen on the left.

Both the beautiful and the Pensacola hawthorns were purchased from Woodlanders Nursery (Aiken, South Carolina), in 1997. They were planted the following year. Currently, Woodlanders does not show either species in stock. These two trees have grown nicely in the arboretum, so finding replacements would be worthwhile.

Tree of the Week: Beautiful Hawthorn (Crataegus pulcherrima)

The beautiful hawthorn (Crataegus pulcherrima) has been in bloom this week. Since there aren't any big trees looming over it, the beautiful hawthorn stands out in the landscape. This rare beauty was purchased from Woodlanders Nursery (Aiken, South Carolina) in December 1997, and planted the following November. It's over 20 years old and very healthy. We are not expecting it to get much bigger.

The beautiful hawthorn is a splendid ornamental tree and this week it is shining. Throughout the winter the handsome trunk was exposed, and now this week we are seeing delicate new leaves and white flower clusters. 

This hawthorn grows near Cline Hall, on a slope in full sun.

On a sunny day, we see dappled shade on the ground. The divided, twisting trunk has rough white-gray bark that flakes off to reveal orange inner bark.

Unlike the Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana), new leaves and flower clusters of the beautiful hawthorn appear at the same time.

Twig detail of new leaves and flowers.

The simple, egg-shaped leaves have serrated margins.

The delicate leaves are less than 2 inches in length.

Unfortunately the bright white flower clusters have an unpleasant fragrance.

You can see additional photos of this beautiful hawthorn here.


For more information about this species consult the following sources:
Wild Flowers of the Escambia
United States Department of Agriculture (Zoom in on map to see the limited distribution)
Alabama Plant Atlas

Crataegus pulcherrima