Florida Hawthorns Are Hidden Treasures
I have never hidden my great love of hawthorns (Crataegus spp. ). I am unabashedly fond of them for a great many reasons and I have promoted their use in Florida landscapes for more than 20 years. My love of haws comes from both their beauty and utility; traits that make them especially useful in landscapes designed for wildlife and for aesthetics. And, given the large number of native species possible, there are excellent choices for nearly every setting likely to be encountered. Hawthorns belong to the Rose Family, along with the plums, cherries, serviceberries, and crabapples. Roses are revered for their beautiful 5-petal flowers, which are often present in the spring, and the production of nutritious fruit, generally high in vitamin C. Florida’s hawthorns all produce white blooms; either solitary, in small clusters, or in large masses across the canopy. The fruit are Green haw: small flower clusters variable in color, size, and time of ...