Hawthorn

The white or pink-tinged flowers in May of the native Hawthorn tree are followed by the crimson berries called haws.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Crataegus monogyna
Family: 
Roses
Family Latin name: 
ROSACEAE
Category: 
Flowering Plants
Vernacular names: 

Above all, May (especially just for the blossom), then: White-may, Whitethorn, Thorn-bush, Quick, Quickthorn, Mother-die, Bread-and-cheese (leaves only). For the fruit only: Awes, Asogs, Azzies, Aglets, Agags, Arzy-garzies, Boojuns, Hoppety-haws.

Species description

Species description

The white flowers in May of this native small tree are followed by the crimson berries called haws. Hawthorn wood is hard with a fine grain, and polishes well. It has been used for walking sticks, handles for knives and daggers, and for turning. 

Extracts from the flowers and berries are astringent and useful for sore throats, and as a diuretic for dropsy and kidney ailments. A cardiac tonic is made from the leaves and berries. To draw out splinters, make an infusion of hawthorn leaves in boiling water and use to soak muslin to place on the affected area. Crushed berries work similarly. 

Pick the young leaves in May, and the flowers shortly after, but do not use the stalks as they have a bitter taste. When young leaves are chewed they develop a taste like bread and cheese. Pick the haws after frost. Buds and leaves together can be chopped up to make a salad vegetable, which is particularly good when mixed with potato or beetroot salads. The leaves may be added to stews and casseroles. Hawthorn flowers make a good wine, and also a liqueur. 

An astonishing 300 or more species of insect rely on the Hawthorn for food. Moths lay their eggs on the Hawthorn's leaves so that the emerging caterpillars have a ready food supply. The white May-time flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and hoverflies. Hawthorns are hermaphrodite (in that the tree's flowers contain both male and female reproductive parts). Insects are needed for pollination and once that has happened, the haw fruits develop. These crimson haw berries, which are rich in antioxidants, are eaten by migrating birds, such as the Redwing. The tree's dense foliage is ideal for nesting birds. Hawthorns really are an ecosystem in their own right!

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)

Details

Species family information

The Rose family gives us many of our most commercially important fruits, such as the Prunus species. They have alternate leaves and 5-petalled flowers.

Category information

Nucleic multicellular photosynthetic organisms lived in freshwater communities on land as long ago as a thousand million years, and their terrestrial descendants are known from the late Pre-Cambrian 850 million years ago. Embryophyte land plants are known from the mid Ordovician, and land plant structures such as roots and leaves are recognisable in mid Devonian fossils. Seeds seem to have evolved by the late Devonian. The Embryophytes are green land plants that form the bulk of the Earth’s vegetation. They have specialised reproductive organs and nurture the young embryo sporophyte. Most obtain their energy by photosynthesis, using sunlight to synthesise food from Carbon Dioxide and Water.

The earliest known plant group is the Archaeplastida, which were autotrophic. Listing just the surviving descendants, which evolved in turn, we have the Red Algae, the Chlorophyte Green Algae, the Charophyte Green Algae, and then the Embryophyta or land plants. The earliest embryophytes were the Liverworts, followed by the Hornworts, and the Mosses. Then we have the Vascular Plants, the Lycophytes and Ferns, followed by the Spermatophytes or seed plants, the Gnetophytes, Conifers, Ginkgos, and Cycads, and finally the Magnoliophyta (Angiosperms) or flowering plants.

Further information

Recipe for Hawthorn Flower Liqueur

Fill a 1 lb (450g) Kilner jar with flowers, compacted, and cover with brandy or whisky.  After about two weeks, filter and add 1 tbsp sugar dissolved in the minimum of hot water.  Allow to cool, then bottle.

Recipe for May Cup

Another traditional drink is May Wine Cup.

6 tbsp of hawthorn flowers   4 lemon balm leaves4 thinly pared strips of orange rind  1 bottle of dry white wine.Put all the ingredients in together, cover and leave in a cool place for 1-2 days.  Strain and serve chilled.  Add a little brandy for a stronger flavour.

When the berries are available they make a tasty jelly.

Recipe for Hawthorn Jelly

3 lb (1.4 kg) haws    2 pt (1200ml) waterthe juice of 3 lemons    sugar.Simmer the berries in the water for an hour, mashing thoroughly.  When soft, strain them through a jelly bag overnight.  For each pint (600ml) of liquid obtained add 1 lb (450g) sugar.  Heat and stir to dissolve the sugar, add the lemon juice and boil rapidly until the setting point is reached.  This jelly is often served with rich meats like game and lamb.

You could also try hawthorn and crab apple jelly, by using 1 lb (450g) haws and 2 lb (900g) crab apples, with 1 pint (600ml) water and the juice of 1 lemon.

Haw wine is full of flavour, but should be stored for about a year before drinking.