Crataegus uniflora Münchh.

One Flower Hawthorn; Single Flower Hawthorn; Dwarf Thorn

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

One Flower Hawthorn is a native deciduous shrub in the Rose family (Rosaceae). It can be found throughout most of Alabama. One Flower Hawthorn grows in sandhills, Longleaf pine forests, and in open scrubby woods. It is a low mounding shrub reaching 3 feet in height. Young stems are densely appressed pubescent. Old stems have gray-brown bark. The stems are armed with long, straight, needle-like thorns. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, elliptic to spatulate or oblanceolate in outline, with serrate or crenate margins. The teeth are sometimes black gland-tipped. The leaves are coriaceous and usually unlobed. The leaves are medium to dark green and glossy above and lighter green and pubescent at least along the veins below. Flowers are produced in 1-3 flowered inflorescences. Flowers are subtended by glandular toothed bracteoles. Each flower has 5 green foliaceous sepals, and 5 white petals. The anthers are cream colored and the hypanthium is pubescent. Sepals are glandular-pectinate and equal to or longer than the petals. The fruit is a yellowish pome with 4-5 pyrenes. One Flower Hawthorn is occasionally available from native plant nurseries. It prefers a well-draining soil in full to partial sun. It can be used as a low hedge or border or as a low mounding accent plant. The fruit are consumed by a variety of wildlife.—A. Diamond.

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Native

Lance, R., 2014. Haws: a guide to hawthorns of the Southeastern United States. Ron Lance (published by the author).