Hawthorn
Hawthorn
Shrub
Britain's classic hedgerow shrub — a froth of white May blossom in spring, sharp protective thorns, and branches loaded with red 'haws' for the birds in autumn.
💡 Fun Facts
- Its froth of white May blossom is so famous it gave the tree its other name — the 'May tree'.
- In autumn it is loaded with little red berries called haws, a feast for blackbirds and winter thrushes.
- Its branches bristle with sharp thorns, which is why farmers have used it for living hedges for hundreds of years.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:May to June
- Fruiting:September to November
Name Story
Crataegus monogyna
means “the strong thorn with a single pistil”
What does its name mean?
- Crataegus — a flowering thorn (linked to 'strength', for its hard wood)Greek krataigos / kratos, 'strength, might'
- mono- — single, oneGreek monos
- -gyna — female flower-part (the pistil or style)Greek gynē, 'woman'
Hawthorn's name mixes strength with a clue you can count. Crataegus comes from a Greek word for 'strength', for its hard, tough wood; monogyna means 'single pistil' — it has just one female flower-part, and that grows into a single stone tucked inside each red berry.