Carolina Nature

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Rosales>Rosaceae>Crataegus viridis L.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Green Hawthorn is a fairly common small tree found in bottomlands, swamps, and other wetlands in the Coastal Plain and adjacent Piedmont of North Carolina. One of the larger of the hawthorns, commonly small tree size (up to 30 feet high).

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Spines are relatively few.

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

The bark is perhaps the most distinctive feature of Green Hawthorn, with plates of bark peeling off to reveal reddish-brown bark beneath. It is somwhat similar to the bark of the larger Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia).

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)

Durham Co., NC 4/15/2011.

More information:
Hort.net
Missouri Botanical Garden
USDA PLANTS Database
Wildflower.org

Recommended Tree, Shrub, and Woody Vine Identification Guides