Crataegus pinnatifida Big ball - Hawthorn

Crataegus pinnatifida 'Big Ball' is a variety of Chinese hawthorn selected for its thornless vegetation, abundant fruiting, large fruits, and compact habit. It is more suitable for small gardens. It is a highly rewarding, hardy, and easy to grow small tree, which is also valued for its beautiful coppery shoots in spring, its nicely lobed foliage, and its spring flowering that attracts bees. Its bright red fruits, called haws, are the size of large cherries. They are harvested in September and can be used to make jellies, compotes, and jams. Chinese hawthorn is perfect in shrub borders or in a rustic hedge combined with other unique fruit trees.

Originating from China and Korea, Crataegus pinnatifida is a very hardy small tree belonging to the Rosaceae family, just like its cousin the hawthorn of our countryside. The 'Big Ball' cultivar has a dense, bushy, and generally rounded habit. The shrub reaches about 3.5m (12ft) in height and 2.5m (8ft) in width at maturity. Its growth rate is moderate. Flowering occurs in May-June and takes the form of clusters or corymbs of small cream-white flowers, which are popular with bees. After pollination, globular fruits measuring 2cm (1in) in diameter form, which are bright red but punctuated with small white lenticels. Their flesh is edible, with a fairly neutral taste but distinctly acidic. The young branches are reddish-brown in colour, then become greyish-brown with age. In spring, large red buds appear, followed by spectacular reddish-coppery young shoots. These unfurl into large dark green leaves, oval or triangular-ovate in shape, measuring 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) long and 4 to 7.5cm (2 to 3in) wide, divided into 6 to 10 pairs of lobes. These leaves often turn a beautiful reddish-coppery colour in autumn before falling off.

Crataegus 'Big Ball' adapts to any well-drained garden soil, even limestone, in sunny positions. Plant it in a small garden as a solitary specimen, or in a rustic hedge with other trouble-free shrubs such as hawthorns, rowans, cotoneasters, medlars, serviceberries, blackthorns, and European spindle trees.

The fruits of the Chinese hawthorn are used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are rich in vitamin C and are sometimes used in slimming or digestive herbal teas.