The Hawthorns 



III. /ESTI VALES 



May, or Apple Haw (C. cestivalis, T. & G.) ^A round- 

 headed, compact tree, with stout trunk, 20 to 30 feet high. Thorns 

 I to i^ inches long, stout, sharp; often absent. Bark thin, fissured 

 and broken into plate-Hke scales, dark reddish brown. Twigs 

 rufous pubescent, soon becoming smooth and grey or brown. 

 Wood heavy. Close grained, light brown, weak. Buds plump, 

 small, scaly, brown. Leaves elliptical, irregularly wavy-toothed 

 and serrate above the middle, entire and tapering to pubescent 

 petiole; i^ to 2 inches long, dark green, leathery shining above, 

 with rusty hairs on veins beneath. Flowers with the leaves in 

 February or early March, 2 to 5 in simple corymbs, corolla i inch 

 across, white; calyx tips ruddy; stamens 20 to 25, anthers large 

 dark rose. Fruit, May, i to 3 in cluster, flattened globes, fragrant, 

 pleasantly sub-acid, juicy, thick fleshed, calyx lobes large, curved 

 back; nutlets 3 to 5, with deep grooves and ridges on back. Pre- 

 ferred habitat, moist, sandy soil. Distribution, Florida to Texas 

 and Arkansas. Uses: Handsome tree for ornamental planting. 

 Fruit sold in Louisiana markets, and made into preserves and 

 jellies. 



IV. ViRIDES 



Haw (C. viridis, Linn.) A round-headed tree, 20 to 35 feet, 

 with tall, often fluted trunk, and spreading branches. Thorns 

 slim, pale, under i inch long; usually wanting. Bark brown, 

 ashy grey or orange, checked into plate-like scales. Leaves 

 ovate or obovate, acute at apex and base, serrate and lobed above 

 middle, usually entire below; dark green, lustrous above, pale 

 and dull beneath, scarlet in autumn; veins strong; petioles slender. 

 Flowers, March to May, with leaves, in smooth corymbs, white, 

 J inch across, stamens 20, anthers yellow, styles 5. Fruit bright 

 scarlet in pendant clusters, flattened globose, pea-size, thin, 

 dry flesh; nutlets 5, scarcely ridged. Preferred habitat, low 

 ground along streams. Distribution, Savannah River to western 

 Florida, through Gulf States to eastern Texas; north to St. Louis; 

 forms thickets in Louisiana. Uses: Valuable ornamental tree, 

 for the brilliance of its autumn foliage and winter fruits. 



The trunk of this species attracts attention, sometimes by its 

 form, always by its colour. Its vivid fruit hangs throughout the 



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