Crataegus laevigata Seeds | Hawthorn Berry Tree
LATIN NAME: Crataegus laevigata
COMMON NAME: Hawthorn
Plant Profile
Hawthorn is a small thorny tree, 4-8 m, with lobed leaves, clusters of white five-petalled flowers in May and deep red haws in autumn. The branches carry stout thorns, and the bark is grey and fissured, giving old trees a rugged, almost sculptural look.
The plant is grown as a hedge, a specimen tree and a wildlife plant, and it is one of the best native species for a mixed boundary. The flowers feed early insects, the haws feed thrushes and waxwings in winter, and the dense thorny growth shelters small birds.
Crataegus laevigata comes from Europe and western Asia and is one of several closely related hawthorns. It is the parent, with C. monogyna, of many garden forms, including the pink and double-flowered cultivars that are grown for ornament rather than for hedging.
Science & Biotechnology
The leaves and flowers contain oligomeric procyanidins and flavonoids, and hawthorn is one of the better-studied European herbs for cardiovascular support. Trials have looked at mild heart failure and at blood pressure, with modest and inconsistent results, and it is not a substitute for medical treatment.
The haws are rich in pectin and in vitamin C, and they have been used to make jelly, wine and fruit leather. The seed contains amygdalin, as many rose-family seeds do, and should not be crushed and eaten.
Hawthorn is a host for the bacterium that causes fire blight, Erwinia amylovora, along with apples and pears, which is why planting it near an orchard is regulated in some countries. That is a practical reason to check local rules before using it as a hedge around fruit.
Uses & Benefits
Hawthorn is planted as a stock-proof hedge, as a specimen tree in a wild garden and as a wildlife plant in a mixed boundary. The flowers, leaves and berries are used in herbal preparations, and the berries make a good jelly.
The wood is hard and fine-grained and is used for small turned items. Commercially the plant is a nursery staple for hedging, and the dried leaf and flower are sold as a herbal infusion. It is one of the cheapest and most useful plants in the catalogue for a boundary.
Growing from Seed
Soak the seed for 24 hours, then stratify for three to five months at 3-5°C; hawthorn seed is deeply dormant and may not germinate until the second spring. Sow 1 cm deep in a nursery bed and be patient.
Plant out in full sun or light shade in any soil that drains. For a hedge, plant at 45 cm apart and cut back hard after planting to encourage branching, then trim in June and again in September. For a specimen, remove the lower branches gradually and let the crown develop. Water through the first two summers. A hawthorn hedge is best cut in late June, after flowering, since a later trim removes the haws that feed the birds in winter.
Our Take
The best boundary plant in the catalogue: thorny enough to keep animals out, generous enough to feed the birds and the bees.
Related Reading
If Hawthorn appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: