Edible Hawthorns
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C. arnoldiana. A tree to 7 metres tall, the fruit is juicy and sweet.
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C. baroussana. A shrub to about 2 metres, the fruit is not quite as nice as the species above. This plant is probably only hardy in southern England.
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C. douglasii. Growing up to 9 metres tall, the fruit is similar to C. arnoldiana.
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C. ellwangeriana. Up to 6 metres tall, with very similar fruit to C. arnoldiana.
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C. festiva. Growing 3 - 4 metres tall, the fruit is one of the best in the genus.
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C. pensylvanica. A tall shrub to 9 metres tall, it always seems to produce heavy crops of very tasty fruits.
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C. schraderiana. A tree to 6 metres tall, this is one of my favourite fruits. When fully ripe it almost literally melts in the mouth.
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C. tanacetifolia. Growing up to 10 metres tall, the fruit is yellow in colour and rather like a very rich apple in flavour.
Crataegus arnoldiana grows up to 20ft tall, though I have yet to see specimens more than 15ft tall. This is one of my favourite fruits, it is almost an inch in diameter and has a sweet flavour with a soft juicy but mealy flesh.
Crataegus azarolus. The azarole grows about 20ft tall and is sometimes cultivated in the Mediterranean for its fruit. This is about an inch in diameter and is said to have a pleasant acid taste though this is one of the species that I have yet to try. In warm temperate areas the fruit develops more fruit sugars and has a fragrant sugary pulp with a slightly acid flavour. In cooler zones, however, the fruit does not develop so well and is best cooked or used in preserves.
Crataegus baroussana. I do not know much about this species since it is not mentioned in any of the literature I have read so far. Nevertheless, I have seen the plant growing in a few places and have eaten the fruits. These are up to inch in diameter and are pleasantly sweet. The plants that I have seen were less than 5ft tall but were fruiting heavily and looked as though they are not going to get much taller. This species, therefore, seems to have excellent potential for small gardens or other sites where space is limited. The plant is native to Mexico so it might not be hardy in the colder areas of the country. All the plants I have seen have been in S. England and all looked very healthy.
Crataegus durobrivensis. This species is not known in a truly wild situation and is possibly a hybrid, so don’t expect it to come true from seed. It grows about 15ft tall and the fruit, which is about 3/4 inch in diameter ,is sweet and fairly juicy when fully ripe with a hint of apple in its flavour.
Crataegus ellwangeriana. This species is probably another hybrid. It grows about 20ft tall and the fruit, which is juicy and acid, makes very pleasant eating. The fruit is about 3/4 inch in diameter.
Crataegus illinoensis. The fruit of this species is very similar in taste and size to C. arnoldiana, mentioned earlier. I’m not sure how tall the tree will grow, possibly 20ft.
Crataegus missouriensis. This tree grows about 20ft tall. The fruit is about the size of a large cherry with a sweet, soft and fairly juicy flesh.
Crataegus schraderiana. This tree, which grows about 20ft tall, has one of the most delicious fruits I have ever eaten from a plant of the temperate zone. It is about 1/2 - 3/4 inch in diameter, is juicy with an extremely pleasant flavour, and almost literally melts in the mouth. I would far rather eat this fruit than a strawberry.
Crataegus submollis. This species grows about 25ft tall. The fruit is sub-acid, dry and mealy according to the books, but our experience has been that the fruit, which can be almost an inch in diameter, is sweet and somewhat juicy with a nice flavour.
Crataegus succulenta. Growing about 20 ft tall this species has some of the largest fruits in the genus with specimens up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. This fruit has a sweet, juicy and pulpy flesh that is excellent raw or for making jellies.
Crataegus tanacetifolia. This is a larger tree that can reach 30ft tall. The fruit is quite different from those species mentioned above, it is juicy and much firmer with a distinct apple-like flavour. The fruit is up to 1 inch in diameter.
Crataegus** (all species). Hawthorn**
Will grow in sun or semi-shade. Recommended species: C. arnoldiana: up to 7m (20’), fruit soft juicy/mealy flesh; C. azarolus: 7m (20’) tree, fruit for cooking; C, baroussana: 1.5m (5’); C. durobriensis: 5m (15’), fruit small, apple-like; C. elwangeriana: 7m (20’), fruit pleasant. C. illinoensis: 7m (20’), fruit like C. arnoldiana; C. missouriensis: 7m (20’), fruit cherry size, soft and juicy; C. schraderiana: 7m (20’), fruit exceptionally delicious; C. submollis: 8m (25’), fruit variable; C. succulenta: 7m (20’), fruit sweet, juicy, nice raw/jellied; C. tanacetifolia: 10m (30’), fruit tastes apple-like.
From Lon Rombough:
Mayhaw (C. aestivalis) is good fresh, and processes well. Drops about as soon as ripe, though. Richard Fahey’s selection “Heart’s Delight” (C. mollis) is about the best fresh fruit. C. azarolus from Italy has a tart taste like rose hips. Largest fruit is C. pinnatafida major from China. Grown there for commercial fruit production. Apparently they dip skewers of the fruit in boiling sugar and sell them on the street. C. tanacetifolia has a smooth pulp about like apple sauce. Was sold as “Blue hawthorn” by Raintree one time.