Crataegus pennsylvanica

Ashe

Ann. Carnegie Mus. 1: 394. 1902.

Common names: Pennsylvania thorn
Endemic
Synonyms: Crataegus tatnalliana Sargent
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 557. Mentioned on page 551, 552, 558, 559.

Shrubs or trees, 70–80 dm. Stems: trunk bark newly exposed orange-brown, older buff, fibrous, checked into longitudinal plates; twigs: new growth densely pubescent, 1-year old fawn, older gray; thorns on twigs absent or few, usually recurved, 2-years old shiny dark brown to blackish, stout to more slender, 3–5 cm. Leaves: stipules axillary, circinate, herbaceous, gland-bordered; petiole relatively slender, stouter than C. coccinea, length 30–35% blade, densely pubescent young, sparsely mature, often sparsely stipitate-glandular; blade broadly ovate to ovate-deltate, 6–10 cm, slightly coriaceous, base broadly cuneate to truncate, lobes 4–6 per side, sinuses shallow, lobe apex acute to obscure, margins sharply serrate, teeth at base often stipitate-glandular, veins 5–7 per side, apex acute, abaxial surface sparsely scabrous-pubescent young, glabrescent, veins hairy mature, adaxial densely appressed-scabrous young. Inflorescences 8–20-flowered; branches tomentose; bracteoles variably persistent, linear-lanceolate, membranous to (larger) ± herbaceous, margins glandular. Flowers 17–21 mm diam.; hypanthium densely tomentose; sepals narrowly triangular, 7–8 mm, margins glandular-laciniate, abaxially glabrate; stamens 5 or 6, or 10, anthers cream to pale pink or salmon; styles 4 or 5. Pomes bright red, suborbicular, 10–12 mm diam., densely villous; sepals prominent, erect-patent; pyrenes 4 or 5.


Phenology: Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat: Brush, successional fields, open woodlands, fencerows
Elevation: 10–200 m

Distribution

V9 944-distribution-map.jpg

Ont., Del., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa.

Discussion

Crataegus pennsylvanica ranges mainly to the south of C. submollis and may be locally common. A highly disjunct record from North Carolina (Buncombe County) appears unequivocal.

Crataegus pennsylvanica has been confused with C. mollis and various members of ser. Coccineae. Except for a small overlap in northeastern Ohio, its range lies outside that of C. mollis. Crataegus pennsylvanica is more similar to C. submollis, from which it differs by its less variable leaves (usually broadly ovate, more or less truncate, relatively large), by its much less thorny nature, by its indumentum on young parts being tomentose rather than densely pubescent, and by its being more treelike (C. submollis is usually a shrub). Thorns are absent or sparse on older trees.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Crataegus pennsylvanica"
James B. Phipps +
Molles +
Pennsylvania thorn +
Ont. +, Del. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +  and Pa. +
10–200 m +
Brush, successional fields, open woodlands, fencerows +
Flowering May–Jun +  and fruiting Sep–Oct. +
Ann. Carnegie Mus. +
Crataegus tatnalliana +
Crataegus pennsylvanica +
Crataegus (sect. Coccineae) ser. Molles +
species +