Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington Hawthorn (Rosaceae) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crataegus phaenopyrum is a highly ornamental, -infections of various rusts create white-orange small tree of rounded to semi-pendulous habit at protuberances on the green fruits in summer maturity. Washington Hawthorn has showy but (especially following wet springs), usually causing malodorous late spring flowers, dark green summer these infected fruits to abscise before autumn foliage, burgundy late autumn color, late autumn and Twigs early winter red fruits, fine texture, lightly exfoliating -thin twigs with small buds are red-brown and bark, and dense twigginess, that also attracts wildlife. somewhat zigzag, changing to reddish-gray on the It often has rust as a severe disease problem with age. stems and branches -the thorniness of the twigs shows great variation FEATURES within the species Form -very twiggy in appearance, and shedding small twigs -small ornamental tree continuously from self-shading -maturing at about 20' tall x 20' Trunk wide -usually either multi-trunked or single-trunked and -upright oval growth habit in branching low, but sometimes single-trunked and youth, quickly becoming limbed up into classic tree form spreading rounded to arching -bark exfoliates into thin strips to reveal a red-orange mounded with age; often multi- interior bark beneath a brown-gray exterior bark trunked, densely branched, and -branches are sometimes prone to storm damage with twiggy with numerous thorns age, a combination of the heavy fruit loads in -slow to medium growth rate autumn/winter (or ice loads that may accumulate on Culture the thin but numerous twigs) and narrow crotch -full sun to partial sun angles at some of the major branch junctures -tolerant of poor soils, various soil pHs, compacted soils, drought, heat, and winter salt spray USAGE -propagated by seeds and rooted cuttings Function -Rose Family, with several diseases and pests, most -specimen, focal point, foundation, entranceway, notably various rusts that affect the stems, foliage, border, street, group planting, or multi-season accent and fruit (especially the extremely common cedar Texture hawthorn rust and cedar quince rust) -medium-fine in foliage and fine when bare -abundantly available in clump (multi-trunk) or tree -thick density in foliage and when bare (single-trunk) forms, primarily in B&B form Assets Foliage -four-season ornamental tree with late spring white -emerging reddish, but inflorescences, autumn red fruits and burgundy leaf quickly maturing to dark color, and winter fruits and bark/twigginess/texture green and shiny on the -urban tolerant upper leaf surface, while -wildlife attraction and refuge dull medium green on the -winter salt spray tolerant lower leaf surface Liabilities -alternate, broadly ovate, -severe rust diseases (cedar hawthorn rust and cedar about 2" long, with 3 quince rust) may infect the plant yearly major lobes, with the -malodorous inflorescences in late spring terminal lobe being much -thorns on lower branches that are at pedestrian level larger than the basal 2 are a potential injury liability lobes Habitat -doubly serrated to -Zones 3 to 8 incised on the margins, with cordate bases -Native to the Southern U.S. -autumn color is burgundy to wine, occurring in late Oct.and into mid Nov., and attractive SELECTIONS Flowers Alternates -white inflorescences (about 2" wide) blanket the tree -ornamental trees with good multi-season appeal in early June (it is the last of the landscape (Amelanchier arborea, Cornus kousa, Crataegus Hawthorns to flower), effective for 2 weeks and viridis 'Winter King', Malus, etc.) extremely malodorous -trees or large shrubs serving as wildlife food sources Fruits and refuges (Crataegus crusgalli, Malus sargentii, -0.25" diameter green fruits are in pendulous clusters, Viburnum prunifolium, etc.) turning to orange by Oct. then to bright red-orange in Cultivars - Variants - Related species Nov., and often -clump (multi-trunked) and tree (single-trunked) persisting into late Jan. forms of the straight species are commonly available (if not eaten by wildlife Crataegus 'Vaughn' - Vaughn Hawthorn - a hybrid before then) between Cockspur Hawthorn (C. crusgalli) and -clusters of many Washington Hawthorn (C. phaenopyrum), more pendulous small red upright and less thorny than either of its parents, with fruits make this one of abundant fruits of intermediate size, but of low the most attractive commercial availability, noted for its salt spray ornamental trees in early tolerance, and effectively used as a street median or winter island parking lot tree in addition to the other -fruits are readily eaten functions noted above by birds and squirrels.