Kansas Hawthorn
Scientific Name: Crataegus coccinioides Ashe
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Usda Symbol | CRCO2 |
| Group | Dicot |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Growth Habits | ShrubTree, |
| Native Locations | CRCO2 |
Plant Guide
Uses
Erosion Control: Because it tolerates a widevariety of sites, it can be planted to stabilizebanks, for shelterbelts, and from wind and watererosion. Timber: Although the wood is hard and strong, ithas no commercial value except for tool handlesand other small items. Wildlife: It provides excellent cover and nestingsites for many smaller birds. Birds, rodents, andother smaller mammals eat the small fruits. White tailed deer browse the young twigs andleaves. Beautification: Excellent for environmentalplantings including small specimen tree andshrub border.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and yourState Department of Natural Resources for thisplant�s current status, such as, state noxiousstatus and wetland indicator values, , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Kansas Hawthorn.
Description
General: It is a tree that grows to twenty feethigh and is heavily thorny. Leaves are broadestnear the base, glabrous, with four to five pairs oflobes, yellow-green and smooth. Flowers arewhite and produced in clusters of five to sevenflowers. Fruits are nearly globe-shaped andbright red in color. Distribution: Kansas hawthorn grows fromsouthern Illinois and Missouri to eastern Kansas,Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
Adaptation
Although Kansas hawthorn will succeed inpartial shade and different soil types, it growsbest in full sunlight and well-drained loamysoils. Crataegus coccinioides will tolerate wetsoils becoming drought tolerant once established. It is also wind tolerant making it a good treespecies in shelterbelt planting. It is tolerant ofatmospheric pollution and performs well inurban settings.
Establishment
Propagation from Seed or Grafting: Kansashawthorn can be propagated by either seeds orgrafting. Successful propagation using seedsrequires acid scarification followed by warmstratification and prechilling. Seeds, whosenumbers per lb. varies with species, are plantedearly in the fall, in drill rows eight to twelveinches apart and covered with 1/4 inch of soil. Seedlings must not be kept in the nursery longerthan a year. Containerized trees should be planted when theyare no more than eight feet tall, in the fall orspring. Balled and burlapped trees should beplanted in early spring. Grafting on seedling stock of Crataegusoxyacantha or Crataegus monogyna is bestcarried out in the winter to early spring.
Management
Pruning should be done in the winter or earlyspring in order to maintain a clear shoot leader from Britton & Brown (1913)by Kentucky Native Plant Society @ PLANTS on young trees and/or remove the weakestbranches to allow more light to pass through. Suckers or stems arising from the roots should beremoved when they become noticeable.
Pest and Potential Problems
Although pests and diseases seldom affect it, it issusceptible to fireblight, cedar-hawthorn rust,cedar-quince rust, leaf blight, fruit rot, and leafspot. Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials(and area of origin)Consult you local nurseries to choose the rightcultivar for your specific landscape.
References
Dirr, M.A. 1990. Manual of woody landscapeplants: their identification, ornamentalcharacteristics, culture, propagation and uses. 3rd ed. Stipes, Champaign, Illinois. Duncan, W.H. & M.B. Duncan 1988. Trees ofthe Southeastern United States. University ofGeorgia Press, Athens, Georgia. Elias, T.S. 1989. Field guide to North Americantrees. Revised ed. Grolier Book Clubs Inc.,Danbury, Connecticut. Flint, H.L. 1983. Landscape plants for easternNorth America. John Wiley and Sons, Inc, NewYork, New York. Harrar, E.S. & J.G. Harrar. 1962. Guide tosouthern trees. 2nd ed. Dover Publications, Inc.,New York, New York. Little, E.E. 1996. National Audubon Societyfield guide to North American trees: Easternregion. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, New York. USDA Forest Service 1974. Seeds of woodyplants in the United States. AgriculturalHandbook 450. USDA, Washington, DC. USDA Forest Service 1990. Silvics of NorthAmerica. Agricultural Handbook 654. ForestService, USDA, Washington, DC. Young, J. A. & C.G. Young. 1992. Seeds ofwoody plants in North America. Revised andenlarged ed. Dioscorides Press, Portland,Oregon
Prepared By
Alfredo B. Lorenzoformerly, Southern University and A&M CollegeCollege of Agricultural, Family and ConsumerSciences, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Species CoordinatorLincoln M. MooreUSDA, NRCS, National Plant Data CenterBaton Rouge, Louisiana Edited: 09jan02 jsp For more information about this and other plants, pleasecontact your local NRCS field office or
Fact Sheet
Uses
Erosion Control: Planted to stabilize a variety of sites due to its tolerance of various soils and climatic conditions. Used in shelterbelts and to stabilize areas from wind and water erosion. Timber: Since it is a rather small tree the lumber is of no commercial value except to fashion tool handles and other small items. Aesthetics: Produces an excellent small specimen tree in a landscape or provides shrub border or screen along a property line. It is tolerant of atmospheric pollutants and performs admirably in urban settings. Foliage turns red to bright orange in the fall. Bright red round fruit is also an attractive attribute of this plant. Wildlife: It provides excellent cover and protected nesting sites for small birds. In general, the fruits of this species are eaten by birds, rodents and other small mammals. White-tail deer browse young twigs and foliage.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description and Adaptation
Adaptation , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Kansas Hawthorn.
Adaptation
Kansas hawthorn distribution from USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database. General: A spiny large shrub or small tree that is reported to be up to 20 feet tall. However, a specimen tree planted in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in 1912 is officially recognized as the biggest tree of its species on record in the state of New York. The tree topped out at 31 feet tall and has a 36 inch basal circumference. Leaves are alternate, simple, broadly ovate 2.4 to 3.0 inches long and 2.0 to 2.4 inches wide, pubescent when young, turning glabrous with age, dull dark green above, paler beneath, base variable, apex acute, margin serrate or doubly serrate with several shallow lobes above the middle. The bark is dark brown and scaly. The twigs are lustrous brown, glabrous with many spines up to two inches long. Flowers are white and produced in flat topped inflorescences, termed corymbs, of 5 to 7 flowers. The flowers have five petals and styles and 20 stamens with rose colored anthers. Fruits are pomes that are nearly globe shaped and bright red at maturity, each contains five seeds or nutlets. Adaptation: Kansas hawthorn is best adapted to dry uplands on limestone hillsides. While it can succeed in partial shade and various soil types it prefers full sun and well drained loamy soils. Distribution: Kansas hawthorn grows from southern Illinois and Missouri to eastern Kansas and Oklahoma and into Arkansas. This species is uncommon in Oklahoma. For updated distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.
Establishment
Kansas hawthorn can be propagated either by seed or grafting. Successful propagation from seed is the best alternative, but will require several intermediate steps such as acid scarification, warm stratification and cold moist stratification of the seed units to induce germination. This proposed series of treatments may be necessary due to the fact that Crataegus species possess what is termed double dormancy. Thus it is necessary to overcome two separate types of dormancy in order for the species to successfully germinate. No precise germination protocols have been worked out for Kansas hawthorn since it is considered a minor species with limited commercial value. Grafting onto seedling stock of Crataegus oxyacantha or Crataegus monogyna is best performed in the winter or early spring.
Management
Pruning should be accomplished in the winter or early spring in order to maintain a strong central leader. Pruning should remove weak branches to allow light to penetrate the tree and root suckers or sprouts should be removed as needed. Seedlings should not be kept in a nursery situation for more than a year to reduce damage to the strong tap root system. Pests and Potential Problems: The most common disease problems of hawthorn are rust, fireblight and leaf spot. Rust and leaf spot are caused by fungi and fireblight is a bacterial disease. Cedar – hawthorn rust is a particularly troubling problem in landscapes where Juniper species are planted near hawthorn species. The disease requires both plant species to complete its life cycle and the hawthorn species is devastated with foliage destruction to the point that the plants may be severely defoliated by late in the growing season. This combination of plant species should not be used in the same landscape planting. Insect pests are not a serious problem on Kansas hawthorn, but may cause leaf and fruit damage on the tree. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Consult local nurseries to choose the right cultivar for your intended use of the plant material. Prepared By: Richard L. Wynia, USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center, Manhattan, KS.