Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
A tree of many names, Hawthorn is also known by its Irish name Sceach gheal, its scientific name Crataegus monogyna, as well as other common use names such as Whitethorn, Quickthorn, and - due to the month its flowers are most commonly in bloom - Maythorn.
Hawthorn is a small shrubby tree, growing between 3 and 6 metres high. They are often wider than they are tall! Hawthorn leaves are very distinctive, and usually have between 3 and 5 lobes. The tree has short sharp thorns, so watch you don’t get pricked if you’re nearby.
The Hawthorn’s white flowers smell like almonds and they emerge after the leaves, unlike Blackthorn which flowers on bare stems before its leaves emerge.
Photo: Kim Lake
Hawthorn as a habitat
The Hawthorn is one of our most valuable native trees. It provides blossom for feeding insects, berries for birds and small mammals, and its spiky branches offer nesting birds protection from predators. Lichens and mosses love to grow on the trunks and branches of Hawthorn, and it’s not unusual to see older trees covered in mossy growth.
Photo: Kim Lake
Hawthorn Identification
Spring
Hawthorn is one of the first trees to start showing leaves in the spring, usually at the end of February or early March.
New leaves are a bright green colour.
Hawthorn produces white (or sometimes pink) flowers after the leaves emerge, usually in April or May.
Summer
In summer, the leaves become darker green in colour.
Small oval berries called haws begin to develop, and start to redden as summer progresses.
Autumn
The haws darken to scarlet red, getting darker as they ripen towards the end of autumn.
Leaves also start to change colour to yellow, brown, and sometimes red.
Winter
The haws hang onto the tree all the way through autumn and winter. They are much darker red now, and start to look withered.
You can identify Hawthorn by the short sharp thorns on the branches and its scruffy appearance.
Lichen and moss grows well on Hawthorn, so keep an eye out for it!
