474 



The Thorn Trees 



gray, smooth; the twigs are light red, woolly hair}^ with long hairs, becoming 



smooth, with an occasional chestnut-brown, straight 

 spine 2.5 to 4 cm. long. 



The leaves are broadly ovate to orbicular, i to 

 4 cm. long, I to 4 cm, wide, white hairy on the 

 under surface when young, somewhat hairy above, 

 becoming smooth, pointed or rounded at the apex, 

 heart-shaped to wedge-shaped at the base, pinnately 

 5- to 7-cleft, the lobes toothed and often doubly 

 ^^ toothed with sharp teeth, thin ; leaf-stalks hairy, 

 becoming smooth, 2.5 to 5 cm. long. The flowers 

 are about 15 mm. wide, in 3- to 12-flowered short- 

 hairy cor^'mbs, the calyx-lobes lanceolate, long- 

 pointed, glandular- toothed, with red-tipped teeth, 

 smooth on the outside, sHghtly short-hairy above; 

 stamens about 20; anthers pink; styles i to 3. 



The fruit ripens in October; it is oblong or oval, 

 4 to 7 mm. long, scarlet; calyx-lobes reflexed; the 



flesh is thin, firm, enclosing i to 3 nutlets, commonly 2, 5 to 6.5 mm. long, with 



smooth back, no sinus, rounded at calyx and pointed at stem end, with calyx-scar, 



the nest 3 to 3.5 mm. thick. 



Fig. 429. Parsley-leaved Thorn. 



40. SMALL-FRUITED THORN Crataegus spathulata Michaux 



This thorn occurs in moist, rich soil of the coast region, from Virginia to 

 northern Florida and westward to southern 

 Arkansas and Oklahoma to Texas. It is a 

 shrub or small tree 6 to 8 meters high, with up- 

 right and spreading branches, forming a broad 

 open crown; the bark is grayish brown, mi- 

 nutely scaly; the twigs are hght reddish brown, 

 smooth, and occasionally provided with straight, 

 brown spines 3 to 4 cm. long. 



The leaves are spatulate to oblanceolate, i 

 to 4 cm. long, 5 to 20 mm. wide, pointed or 

 rounded at the apex, gradually narrowed below 

 from about the middle into winged petioles, 

 crenate-toothed, often 3- to 5-lobed above, with 

 3 conspicuous lobes, hairy on the veins above 

 when young, becoming smooth, half-leathery, 

 dark green above, lighter beneath; leaf-stalks 

 about I cm. long. The flowers are about 10 

 mm. wide, in many-flowered, smooth corymbs; fig. 430. Small-fruited Thom. 



