Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

I find ‘May’ blossom, so well-named, has an unpleasant scent, but many find it agreeable enough. It’s fly-pollinated, which explains it’s slightly sour or rotten odour. Hawthorn is perhaps the most common hedgerow shrub, growing everywhere across the UK, with plenty of variation in growing form. Some produce truly impressive crops of ‘haws’ or fruits, and some say that a heavy crop warns of a hard winter to come. Hawthorn grows so densely that it is effectively impassable by livestock and people, making it an ideal choice for natural boundaries and barriers, and also a welcome wind-break. These can grow into trees, but are typically found at woodland edges, where they effectively ‘skirt’ the woods.

What it looks like

Growing as a dense hedge or as a single-stemmed tree, Hawthorn is thickly branched, bearing thorns among its clustered leaves. Bark is greyish brown, smoother when young and deeply cracked with age. Leaves look a bit like miniature oak leaves, deeply lobed, but with a toothed edge. They begin to yellow midsummer and turn quite yellow before dropping in autumn. Hawthorn blossoms with a profusion of tiny white (occasionally pale pink), pungent flowers in May. Flowers have five petals. These turn into clusters of green, then orange and red fruits varying in size from half a centimeter to 1cm in diameter.

Uses

Young leaves and flowers can be eaten. Haws can be harvested and eaten raw, though they have little flavour and have a mealy texture and a large seed. Typically, haws are cooked down into preserves, ketchup or jelly. Hawthorn wood burns hot and is a good choice for kindling and charcoal making.