| Midland hawthorn | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Crataegus |
| Section: | Crataegussect. Crataegus |
| Series: | Crataegusser. Crataegus |
| Species: | C. laevigata |
| Binomial name | |
| Crataegus laevigata | |
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| Distribution map | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Crataegus laevigata, known as theMidland hawthorn,[3]English hawthorn,[3]woodland hawthorn,[3] ormayflower, is a species ofhawthorn native to western and central Europe, fromGreat Britain (where it is typically found inancient woodland and old hedgerows[4]) andSpain, east toRomania andUkraine. The species name is sometimes speltC. levigata,[5] but the original orthography isC. lævigata.[6][7]
It is a largeshrub or smalltree growing to 8 m (26 ft) or rarely to 12 m (39 ft) tall, with a dense crown. Theleaves are 2–6 cm (0.79–2.4 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–2.0 in) broad, with two or three shallow, forward-pointing lobes on each side of the leaf. Thehermaphroditeflowers are produced incorymbs of 6 to 12, each flower with five white or pale pink petals and two or sometimes three styles. The flowers are pollinated byinsects. Thefruit is a dark redpome 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) diameter, slightly broader than long, containing two or threenutlets.[citation needed]
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Flowers - It flowers in May to June (UK) in rather lax clusters. The flowers are normally white but can be pink. Flowers are up to 2.4 cm in diameter, with 2 - 3 styles and stigmas and more than 20 stamens. They have 5 triangular sepals which are obtuse. The petals can be slightly velvety on the inside.[8]
It is distinguished from the closely related common hawthorn,C. monogyna, in the leaves being only shallowly lobed, with forward-pointing lobes, without hair tufts in the vein axils, and in the flowers having more than one style. Each style produces a seed, so its fruits also have more than one seed and these make them slightly oval, in contrast with the single-seeded and therefore round fruits of common hawthorn. The two specieshybridise, giving rise toC. ×media.[citation needed]
In the past, Midland hawthorn was widely but incorrectly known by the nameC. oxyacantha, a name that has now been rejected as being of uncertain application. In 1753,Linnaeus introduced the nameC. oxyacantha for the single species of which he was aware, but described it in such a way that the name became used for various species, including both the Midland and the common hawthorn. In 1775,Jacquin formally separated the common hawthorn, naming itC. monogyna,[9] and in 1946,Dandy showed that Linnaeus had actually observed a different plant,C. oxyacantha. By this time, though, confusion over the true identity ofC. oxyacantha was so great thatByatt proposed[10] that the name should be formally rejected as ambiguous, and this proposal was accepted by theInternational Botanical Congress,[11] although the name continues to be used informally.
The Midland hawthorn was described botanically as a separate species as long ago as 1798 byPoiret, whose nameMespilus laevigata referred to this hawthorn. Poiret's name is reflected in the revised formal botanical name of Midland hawthorn:Crataegus laevigata (Poir.) DC.[citation needed]
'François Rigaud' has yellow fruit.[12]
'Paul's Scarlet'[13] (double red flowers), 'Punicea'[14] (pink and white) and 'Rosea Flore Pleno'[15] (double pink flowers) have gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit. These cultivars are considered by taxonomists to be derived from hybrids betweenC. laevigata andC. monogyna, within the named hybrid speciesC. ×media.[12]
The hawthorn button-top gall on Midland hawthorn is caused by the dipteran gall-midgeDasineura crataegi.[citation needed]
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