Crataegus (sect. Coccineae) ser. Aestivales

(Sargent) Rehder

Man. Cult. Trees ed. 2, 366. 1940.

Endemic
Basionym: Aestivales Sargent Silva 13: 35. 1902
Synonyms: Crataegus sect. Aestivales (Sargent) C. K. Schneider
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 546. Mentioned on page 492, 525.

Shrubs or trees, 30–120 dm, main trunk dominant. Stems: trunk bark dark gray, scaling; freshly exposed bark gray; twigs: new growth glabrous or rufous-tomentose, 1-year old dark chestnut-brown to dark gray, older gray; thorns on twigs few to numerous (less abundant on older shoots in C. aestivalis), straight, 2-years old dark gray to black, stout, 1–5 cm. Leaves: petiole short, length 10–16% blade, glabrous or rufous-tomentose, eglandular; blade elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, lance-elliptic, or ovate, 2.5–7 cm, somewhat coriaceous, base cuneate, lobes 0 or sinuate, sinuses shallow, lobe apex obtuse, margins finely crenate-serrate to obscurely serrulate or entire, glandular, sometimes eglandular, venation ± craspedodromous, veins (3 or) 4–9 (or 10) per side, apex acute to obtuse, glossy to matte, surfaces glabrous or hairy. Inflorescences appearing before or with young leaves, 2–6-flowered, ± umbellate; branches glabrous or hairy; bracteoles often caducous, narrow or oblong-linear, membranous, margins glandular. Flowers 12–25 (–30) mm diam.; hypanthium glabrous, rarely rufous-tomentose; sepals triangular, much shorter than petals, margins entire or glandular-serrate; petals white to sometimes pale-pink in C. opaca; stamens 20, anthers pink to reddish or rose; styles 4 or 5. Pomes ripe May–late June, usually red, sometimes yellow, suborbicular, 8–15 (–20) mm diam., glabrous; flesh succulent; sepals usually ± recurved, very short, accrescent; pyrenes 4 or 5.

Distribution

North America, Mexico, in Europe

Discussion

Species 3 (3 in the flora).

Members of ser. Aestivales are found in wetlands from eastern Texas to North Carolina. Two species are largely allopatric (Crataegus aestivalis and C. opaca) and a third (C. ×rufula) is more or less intermediate between the first two and occurs where the ranges of the other two overlap. The mayhaws are distinct in precocious flowering, habitat, exceptionally early fruit ripening, and more or less umbellate inflorescences. Also, uniquely in sect. Coccineae, it appears that some thorns may be indeterminate.

The fruit is widely consumed in foods such as pies, jellies, jams, and wine. The species are cultivated in home gardens and are also, on a small scale, commercially grown and processed.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate or narrowly so, margins eglandular (except sometimes on teeth), entire proximally, serrulate to crenate in distal 1/2, abaxial surfaces glabrous except for tufts of usually pale gray hair in vein axils, adaxial ± shiny. Crataegus aestivalis
1 Leaf blades ± elliptic to lance-elliptic, sometimes broadly elliptic to ovate, margins gland-dotted, sinuate, abaxial surfaces rufous-tomentose, adaxial usually dull > 2
2 Leaf blades ± elliptic to lance-elliptic, sometimes broadly elliptic, 5–7 cm, veins 5–9(or 10) per side; inflorescence branches absent or glabrous. Crataegus opaca
2 Leaf blades elliptic to ovate, 2.5–4.5 cm, veins 3–5 per side; inflorescence branches glabrous or rufous-tomentose. Crataegus ×rufula

"thin" is not a number."rufous-tomentose" is not a number. "glabrous" is not a number."adnate" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
pink +  and reddish or rose +
glossy +  and matte +
acute;obtuse +
James B. Phipps +
(Sargent) Rehder +
thin-exfoliating +  and corrugated +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
cuneate +
Aestivales +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
elliptic +  and narrowly oblanceolate lance-elliptic or ovate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
hairy +  and glabrous +
adnate +  and distinct +
crowded +, scattered +  and alternate +
North America +, Mexico +  and in Europe +
not +  and aggregated +
succulent +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
yellow +  and red or purplish +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
gray +, dark chestnut-brown +  and dark gray +
older +  and new +
rufous-tomentose +  and glabrous +
rufous-tomentose +  and glabrous +
constricted +
crassinucellate +
umbellate +  and 2-6-flowered +
deciduous +
sinuate +
craspedodromous +  and eglandular +
glandular-serrate +, entire +, finely crenate-serrate +  and obscurely serrulate +
serrate +  and crenate +
inferior +  and superior +
biseriate +  and clustered +
collateral +  and basal +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
elliptic +  and circular +
0 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
pale-pink +  and white to sometimes +
free +  and distinct +
post-mature +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
dark gray-brown +  and russet +
exfoliating +  and corrugated +
pruinose +
yellow +  and red +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
suborbicular +
Man. Cult. Trees ed. +
not arillate +
persistent +
free +  and distinct +
short +  and much shorter +
triangular +
accrescent +
1-50-flowered +  and few-leaved +
free +  and distinct +
branched +  and simple +
persistent +
distinct +
exsert +  and lateral +
elongate +
hairy +  and glabrous +
Crataegus sect. Aestivales +
Crataegus (sect. Coccineae) ser. Aestivales +
Crataegus sect. Coccineae +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
dark gray +  and black +
straight +
slender +  and stout +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
craspedodromous +  and gland-tipped +
inconspicuous +
less erect +  and oblique +
1 +  and several +
determinate +
few +  and numerous +
4 (?) +  and 9 (?) +
tree +  and shrub +