Hawthorn Traditional Cache

Hawthorn has many variants, this seems closest to Downy Hawthorn. The trail from Yellow Barn Rd. starts at N 42 27.958 W 76 20.524. Wide trail until less than 10 yards of easy bushwhacking at the end.

Hawthorn

Crataegus (from the Greek κράτος kratos strength and άκης akis sharp, referring to the thorns of some species) commonly called hawthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn, or hawberry, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rocaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name "hawthorn" was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the common hawthorn C. monogyna, and the unmodified name is often so used in Britain and Ireland. The name is now also applied to the entire genus and to the related Asian genus Rhaphiolepsis. The name haw, originally an Old English term for hedge, applies to the fruit.

Description

Plant of Crataegus monogyna

Close-up of the flowers of C. monogyna

Crataegus species are shrubs or small trees, mostly growing to 5–15 metres (16–49 ft) tall, with small pome fruit and (usually) thorny branches. The most common type of bark is smooth grey in young individuals, developing shallow longitudinal fissures with narrow ridges in older trees. The thorns are small sharp-tipped branches that arise either from other branches or from the trunk, and are typically 1–3 cm long (recorded as up to 11.5 centimetres (4.5 in) in one case). The leaves grow spirally arranged on long shoots, and in clusters on spur shoots on the branches or twigs. The leaves of most species have lobed or serrate margins and are somewhat variable in shape. The fruit, sometimes known as a "haw", is berry-like but structurally a pome containing from 1 to 5 pyrenes that resemble the "stones" of plums, peaches, etc., which are drupaceous fruit in the same subfamily.

Ecology

Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects. Hawthorns are also used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera  species. Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings; these birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings.

Fruit of four different species of Crataegus (clockwise from top left: C.coccinea, C.punctata, C. ambigua and C. douglasii)

Uses

Culinary use

The "haws" or fruits of the common hawthorn, C. monogyna, are edible but the flavour has been compared to over-ripe apples. In the United Kingdom, they are sometimes used to make a jelly or homemade wine. The leaves are edible and, if picked in spring when still young, are tender enough to be used in salads. The young leaves and flower buds, which are also edible, are known as "bread and cheese" in rural England.

The fruits of the species Crataegus pinnafidia  (Chinese hawthorn) are tart, bright red, and resemble small crabapple fruits. They are used to make many kinds of Chinese snacks, including haw flakes and tanghulu. The fruits, are also used to produce jams, jellies, juices, alcoholic beverages, and other drinks. In South Korea, a liquor called sansachun  is made from the fruits.

The fruits of Crateraegus mexicana are known in Mexico as tejocotes and are eaten raw, cooked, or in jam during the winter months. They are stuffed in the pinatas broken during the traditional pre-Christmas celebration known as Las Posadas. They are also cooked with other fruits to prepare a Christmas punch. The mixture of tejocote paste, sugar, and chili powder produces a popular Mexican candy called rielitos, which is manufactured by several brands.

In the southern United States, fruits of three native species are collectively known as mayhaws and are made into jellies which are considered a great delicacy. The Kutenai people of northwestern North America used red and black hawthorn fruit for food.

On Manitoulin Island in Canada, some red-fruited species are called hawberries. They are common there thanks to the island's alkaline soil. During the pioneer days, white settlers ate these fruits during the winter as the only remaining food supply. People born on the island are now called "haeeaters". In Iran, the fruits of Crataegus var. aronia, as well as other are known as zalzalak and are eaten raw as a snack, or made into a jam known by the same name

Crataegus monogyna 'Crimson Cloud' in Elko Nevada

Research

A 2008 Cochrane Collaboration meta-analysis of previous studies concluded that there is evidence of "a significant benefit in symptom control and physiologic outcomes" for an extract of hawthorn in treating chronic heart failure. A 2010 review concluded that "Crataegus [hawthorn] preparations hold significant potential as a useful remedy in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD)". The review indicated the need for further study of the best dosages and concluded that although "many different theoretical interactions between Crataegus and orthodox medications have been postulated ... none have [yet] been substantiated.

Landscaping

Many species and hybrids are used as ornamental and street trees. The common hawthorn is extensively used in Europe as a hedge plant. During the British Agricultural Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, hawthorn saplings were mass propagated in nurseries to create the new field boundaries required by the Inclosure Acts. Several of the Midland hawthorn C. laevigata have been selected for their pink or red flowers. Hawthorns are among the trees most recommended for water conservation landscapes.

Grafting

Hawthorn rootstock on a medlar tree in Totnes, United Kingdom.

Hawthorn can be used as a rootstock in the practice of grafting. It is graft-compatible with Mespilus (medlar), and with pear, and makes a hardier rootstock than quince, but the thorny suckering habit of the hawthorn can be problematic.

Seedlings of Cratagus monogyna have been used to graft multiple species on the same trunk, such as Pink Hawthorn, pear tree  and medlar, the result being trees which give pink and white flowers in May and fruits during the summer. "Chip budding" has also been performed on hawthorn trunks in order to have branches of several varieties on the same tree. Such trees can be seen in Vigo, Spain, and in the northwest of France (mainly in Brittany).

Bonsai

Many species of Hawthorn make excellent bonsai trees. They are grown and enjoyed for their display of flowers.

Other uses

The wood of some hawthorn species is very hard and resistant to rot. In rural North America, it was prized for use as tool handles and fence posts. The wood being hard it is described by Johns as the best substitute for boxwood for wood engraving.

Propagation

Although it is commonly stated that hawthorns can be propagated by cutting, this is difficult to achieve with rootless stem pieces. Small plants or suckers are often transplanted from the wild. Seeds require stratification and take one or two years to germinate. Seed germination is improved if the pyrenes that contain the seed are subjected to extensive drying at room temperature, before stratification. Uncommon forms can be grafted onto seedlings of other species.

Taxonomy

The number of species in the genus depends on taxonomic interpretation. Some botanists in the past recognised a thousand or more species, many of which are apomictic microspecies. It is estimated that a reasonable number is 200 species.

Downy hawthorn

Crataegus mollis, known as downy hawthorn or red hawthorn, occurs in eastern North America from southeastern North Dakota east to Nova Scotia  and southwest to eastern Texas. This tree inhabits wooded bottomlands, the prairie border, and the midwest savanna understorey.

This tree grows to 10–13 m high with a dense crown of thorny branches and an ash-grey trunk. The leaves are 5–10 cm in length and often drop in late summer due to defoliation by leaf diseases. The tree seems to suffer little from the early loss of its leaves. Among the earliest in the genus to bloom, downy hawthorn also has earliest ripening fruit, which decorate the defoliated tree in late summer and early fall.

It is closely related to Crataegus submollis, but the two species have separate native ranges. Amongst other differences between these two species, C. submollis has approximately 10 stamens, whereas C. mollis has approximately 20 stamens per flower.

The white flowers are borne in clusters at the end of the branches in spring. The bright red edible fruit ripens in late summer and early fall and falls soon after.

This species is a target of Gypsy moths. Leaf rusts and fireblight are among the many foliage diseases to affect this species. The sharp thorns are a hazard.

This species is uncommon in cultivation.

The cache is a tied in, camoed "micro" pill bottle, the push hard to open and close kind. Please, take out the log bag to sign, but leave the cache itself atached. BYOP and remember to take the rubber band off your finger and put it around the rolled log before it goes back in the bag and eventually the cache.