Crataegus in Berks County, Pennsylvania 



Calvin Luther Gruber 



r 



This paper on Crataegus is designed to include the known 

 species of Crataegus of the punctata group as found in Berks 

 County, Pa. • The following characteristics of the group are either 

 constant or so general that only exceptions will be noted in the 

 descriptions : 



Flowers very fragrant, in compound villous-pubescent or 

 tomentose cymes ; petals at length reflexed, margins frequently 

 revolute; sepals linear or linear-subulate, entire or sparingly 

 minutely toothed; stamens normally 20; bractlets mostly falhng 

 when flowers open, pale-yellow or pinkish ; flowering about the 

 third week in May : leaves some form of obovate or spatulate, 

 villous-pubescent or tomentose when young, especially on ribs 

 below ; mature leaves more or less villous-pubescent, sometimes 

 glabrate above, villous or tomentose on ribs below ; blade entire 

 at base, then serrate or crenate-serrate, and usually doubly serrate 

 or cut-serrate above middle or near apex ; glands, when present, 

 small, sessile, drop-like, and whitish or colorless ; petiole with 

 shallow, usually wide groove above, taper-margined, frequently 

 reddish or purplish below, the color sometimes extending along 

 midrib for half the length of the blade ; ribs impressed above, 

 prominent below : young twigs villous-pubescent or tomentose ; 

 lenticels whitish ; mature twigs grayish-russet, grayish-green, or 

 brownish-russet : thorns slender to medium, occasionally found 

 tipping a branchlet; trunk and bases of large branches usually 

 beset with several to many long-pronged compound thorns 6-15 

 cm. long : bark light gray or pale ash-gray toward ends of 

 branches : fruit usually spreading or drooping, i-several on a 

 cluster, frequently solitary, usually slightly pubescent and concave 

 at base and apex, dark red or light maroon when beginning to 

 color in August, falling mostly after the leaves ; sepals usually 

 reflexed or spreading, sometimes broken away, usually on a short 

 neck ; cavity deep, 3-4 mm. wide, cupshaped or cylindrical ; ped- 

 icels moderately to slightly pubescent, 5-20 mm. long; seeds 

 commonly roughish and with 1-3 usually shallow, wide grooves 

 on back ; flesh firm, acid or bitterish-acid : branches long, mainly 

 horizontal ; usually with a wide, flattened crown. / 



Crataegus punctata Jacq, 

 A few trees of this species are found near Kutztown, Pa. 

 Flowers 16-21 mm. wide, styles 3-5, anthers dark purplish-red 



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