Crataegus laevigata - Hawthorn

Crataegus laevigata, also known as the Smooth Hawthorn, Two-Styled Hawthorn, or Thorny Hawthorn, is a small thorny tree, highly decorative when covered in white and fragrant flowers in spring. This flowering is popular with bees and gives way to clusters of small pear-shaped fruits coveted by birds. Very hardy and easy to grow in average soil, it is always sought after for forming rural or defensive hedges. It is also a medicinal plant.

Crataegus laevigata belongs to the Rosaceae family, just like the dog rose and the plum tree. It is a small tree or large hardy bush that can reach a height of 5 to 6m (16 to 20ft). Its habit is generally rounded, well-branched, with a wide crown. The stump can sucker, allowing it to spread in width. Its branches are equipped with extremely strong long thorns. They bear alternate deciduous leaves, measuring about 5cm (2in) in length, which are ovate, lobed, and shiny green. The leaves turn yellow in autumn before falling. In early May, simple cup-shaped, fragrant white flowers, about 2cm (1in) in diameter, grow in tight clusters. In September, it bears bright red pear-shaped fruits called haws, about 2cm (1in) in diameter. They are not edible. This hawthorn is sometimes used as a grafting rootstock for medlar and pear trees in chalky soil. It can live for many years, as evidenced by the specimen in Bouquetot in Eure, planted around 1360.

Crataegus laevigata adapts to a wide range of soils if they are well-drained but not too dry. This shrub thrives in a sunny or partially shaded exposure. Not demanding, it will be satisfied with a balance pruning in February. Plant the hawthorn in a large hedge, alongside firethorn, ornamental apple trees, cotoneaster, wild pear trees, quince trees, and other European spindle trees for example. You will provide shelter and food for numerous insects, birds, and small mammals in your garden.