LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Native Hawthorns and Crabapples Provide Fruit and Spring Flowers

Hawthorns and crabapples native to Louisiana have many similarities. They tend to grow into small trees (approximately 20 to 30 feet tall), have thorny branches, flower in spring (thereby supporting pollinating insects), and produce fruit that is consumed by wildlife. We eat the fruit of some in jellies and other foods.

Hawthorns are in the genus Crataegus. More than 200 species exist, and several are found in southeastern Louisiana. I’ll start with some that I find the most interesting, due to my fondness for the jelly made from their fruit: the mayhaws.

“Mayhaw” includes more than one species. Many in Louisiana are Crataegus opaca, sometimes called western mayhaw or riverflat hawthorn. Another mayhaw is eastern mayhaw or may hawthorn (C. aestivalis). This one is considered native to Mississippi and several other states in the Southeast but not to Louisiana. One thing that distinguishes mayhaws from other hawthorns is that their fruit ripens in the spring (thus, “may”haw), while the fruit of many hawthorns ripens later.

Mayhaw trees usually bloom between late February and mid-March. Flowers are about 1-inch-wide with white petals. Fruit ripens between late April and early May. The fruit of wild mayhaws is about 0.5 inch in diameter, while some cultivated varieties have fruit that reaches almost 1 inch wide. Varieties for fruit production include Maxine, Red Champ, Double G, and Surprise.

In nature, mayhaws are often found in wet areas. Most fruit trees, bushes, and vines need good drainage, but mayhaw trees offer those whose yards have poor drainage a chance to grow fruit. At the same time, when possible, it’s recommended that they be planted on sites with full sun and good drainage for fruit production.

The fungal disease quince rust and the bacterial disease fire blight both affect mayhaw, though some cultivars have resistance to one or both diseases. Plum curculio is a common insect pest.

Besides mayhaws, one of the more commonly planted hawthorns in Louisiana is parsley hawthorn or parsleyhaw (C. marshallii). Its common name comes from the shape of its leaves. Parsley hawthorn can grow in a wide range of soils conditions and in shade to partial sun. It produces 0.5-inch-wide white flowers. Fruits are red but smaller (approximately 0.25 inch) than those of cultivated mayhaws, and they ripen in the fall instead of spring.

Green hawthorn (AKA hoghaw or southern thorn; C. viridis) is commonly found in the wild in the southeastern US. It’s also one of the largest native hawthorns. In nature, it’s often found in wet areas. Like parsley hawthorn, its fruit ripens in the fall. The cultivar Winter King is lauded for its appearance and disease resistance in other areas, but it’s not clear to me that it’s been proven to grow well as far south as Louisiana.

Other hawthorns that you might see in southeastern Louisiana include blueberry hawthorn (C. brachyacantha) and littlehip hawthorn (C. spathulata).

Crabapples are rose family relatives of hawthorns but more closely related to apples. They’re popular ornamentals in some areas, but many of those grown in other places are not expected to fare well here.

The southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia), though, is native here. We had a couple in the backyard of the house where I grew up in Bogalusa.

The southern crabapple grows in partial shade to full sun. Trees produce root suckers so may form thickets if the area around them isn’t mowed. Southern crabapple produces fragrant flowers, approximately 1 inch wide, with pale pink to white petals. The squat, yellowish green fruit reaches 0.75 to 1 inch wide and ripens in the fall. Like mayhaws, crabapples can be used to make jelly.

Many hawthorns and crabapples are susceptible to quince and/or cedar apple rust and may lose their leaves early because of rust infections.

Fall is a good time to plant cold-hardy trees and shrubs in Louisiana.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).