FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 



361 



Name. 



Country or 



Origin and 



Natural Order, 



Colour 



AND 



Season. 



General Remarks. 



Crataegus (Thorns) 



Rosaceae 



*C. Azarolus 



*C. Carri^rei 



'C. coccinea (the North America 

 Scarlet Thorn) introduced in 1683 



South-East 



Europe and Asia 



Minor 



A reputed hybrid, 

 but parentage 

 unknown. Sup- 

 posed to be C. 

 mexicana and 

 C. tomentosa 



Pure white; 

 late Spring 



Pure white; 

 late Spring 



White ; 



late Spring 



following spring the fruits 

 will have rotted, and the 

 seeds can be separated and 

 sown. A fair proportion will 

 germinate the first year, and 

 the remainder the second. 

 Many of the thorns tan 

 also be propagated by root 

 cuttings. For this purpose 

 healthy, vigorous shoots, as 

 thick as a man's finger, 

 should be obtained in autumn 

 or winter, and cut into pieces 

 four inches to eight inches 

 in length, cutting the end 

 nearest the stem flat, and the 

 other slanting, so that either 

 end can be readily distin- 

 guished. These should be in- 

 serted upright in the ground, 

 with the tops nearly or just 

 covered ; they soon form 

 roots, and grow into strong 

 plants. The genus is found 

 practically throughout the 

 temperate region, from 

 Europe throughout the East 

 and Central Asia to China 

 and Japan, and in North 

 America. One species is 

 found in Mexico — but this, 

 and in fact all the Thorns 

 are hardy in this country. 



This grows to a height of about 

 20 feet. It is very showy, and 

 has pure white flowers fol- 

 lowed by large yellow fruits ; 

 the leaves are about twice 

 the size of those of the Haw- 

 thorn, and rather deeply 

 cut. Crataegus Aronia is a 

 synonym. 



A very handsome Thorn, 12 

 feet to 15 feet, shapely, leaves 

 large, bright glossy green 

 above, whitish beneath. 

 Flowers appear freely in large 

 corymbs, followed by clusters 

 of pear-shaped green fruits, 

 which hang on the tree until 

 the end of the year, changing 

 finally to dull, yellowish red. 



This is one of the most striking 

 of all the thorns ; it has large 

 bright - green leaves, and 

 flowers nearly an inch across, 

 and in dense corymbs. These 

 are followed by clusters of 

 brilliant scarlet - coloured 

 fruits. There are several 

 varieties equal to or even 





