The Living Forest (298) : Common Hawthorn

The Living Forest (298) : Common Hawthorn

Common hawthorn (also known as single-seeded hawthorn) is a thorny bush or small tree that is often extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural use, but can also frequently be found in the forest as a solitary grower.

It blooms in spring with lovely white flowers (see picture below) and is decorated with numerous dark red haws from late summer until autumn.

Haws look similar to berries, but botanically they are pomes containing a single seed.
They are important food for birds in winter. Particularly thrushes and waxwings eat the haws and disperse the seeds with their droppings.

Dutch name : Eenstijlige Meidoorn
German name : Eingriffeliger Weissdorn
Latin name : Crataegus monogyna