136 THE HAWTHORN AND ITS VARIETIES. 



THE HAWTHOKN AND ITS VARIETIES. 



In the last Number of the Cabinet appeared the remarks I had 

 penned relative to tlie Hawthorn. I now send a continuation of the 

 same, which I hope will appear in the June number, the season of those 

 lovely trees still blooming. 



The thorns begin to flower early in May, and continue till the latter 

 end of June, the different species producing their flowers in succession ; 

 the earliest is Crataegus purpurea. This is not a handsome tree ; on 

 the contraiy, it has a miserable, and rather a stunted appearance, but 

 its flowers are remarkable for their black anthers, and the fruit for the 

 variety of its colours, ^hite, pale yellow, red, and purple haws being 

 found on the same tree. C. nigra is another early blossoming kind, 

 with veiy small black fruit ; this tree is said to attract niglitingales, 

 because, according to Mr. Loudon, " it is particularly liable to be 

 attacked by insects, and because numerous caterpillars are to be found 

 upon it about the time tliat nightingales are in full song." 



In May and June appear the blossoms of the common hawthorn, and 

 those of all its numerous varieties. Perhaps no tree has produced more 

 varieties than this. Loudon enumerates fifty kinds, and I believe there 

 are many more. The most remarkalile of these is the Glastonbury 

 thorn, which is generally in flower at Christmas. The Glastonbury 

 thorn is, indeed, in leaf, flower, or fruit almost all the year; and it has, 

 generally, all three at once on it at Chri'^tmas. The original tree 

 grows at Glastonbury ; and, according to the legend, was the staff of 

 Joseph of Arimatiiea, which being stuck into the ground on Christmas- 

 day miraculously took root, and instantly produced leaves, flowers, and 

 ripe fruit. Queen Maiy's thorn has drooping branches, and long fleshy 

 fruit, which are good to cat. The original tree is said to be still stand- 

 ing, and, if this be true, it must now be nearly 300 years old. 



The other varieties of the hawthorn have probably originated from 

 seedlings observed in some hedge, and transplanteil into a nursery. In 

 this manner the new beautiful bright scarlet Jiawthorn was discovered, 

 and also the double-flowered pink kind, which is so ornamental in our 

 slirubbei'ies, both when its blossoms first expand, and are of a pure 

 white, and when in about a fortnight they begin to take a pinkish tinge, 

 which deepens gradually as they decay. Some of the varieties have 

 bright yellow fruit, and in some it is quite black ; in some the leaves 

 are shaped like tiiose of the oak, and in others they are slender and 

 deeply cut, like tliose of the fern. One kind grows stiff and upright, 

 like the Lombardy poplar, and the branches of anotlier kind are curled 

 and twisted together like gigantic ringlets. In some the leaves are 

 variegated, and in others smooth and shining : in short, it is scarcely 

 possible to set any limits to the varieties. The red-blossomed hawthorn 

 was one of the earliest discovered, it having been found in the time of 

 Ray ; and we may easily imagine what a valuable acquisition it must 

 liave been to the slender stock of flowering shrubs possessed by our 

 ancestors. It is somewhat remarkable that all the red-blossomed haw- 

 thorns have not been propagated from the same tree, but that several 

 red-blossomed seedlings iiave been found at different times, and at 

 different places. Nearly all the other vaiieties appear to have been 



