General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Tree
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Water Preferences: Wet
Wet Mesic
Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 7b
Plant Height: 30 to 50 feet
Plant Spread: 35 to 50 feet
Leaves: Deciduous
Fruit: Showy
Edible to birds
Fruiting Time: Late summer or early fall
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: White
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Birds
Resistances: Drought tolerant
Pollinators: Midges
Bees
Various insects
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
With thorns/spines/prickles/teeth
Monoecious

Image
Common names
  • Downy Hawthorn
  • Red Haw
  • White Thorn
  • Whitethorn

Photo Gallery

Date: c. 1892
illustration by C. E. Faxon from Sargent's 'Silva of North Americ
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: May in 1980's
flowers and young foliage
Location: Redbud Native Plant Nursery in Media, PA
Date: 2018-06-05
6 young trees for sale in pots
Location: Redbud Native Nursery in Media, PA
Date: 2018-06-05
the foliage of a plant for sale

Date: c. 1902
illustration by C. E. Faxon from Sargent's 'Silva of North Americ
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Date: 2018-08-24
fruit and foliage
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Date: 2018-08-24
red fruit
Location: Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois
Date: 2015-06-19
mature specimen in summer
Location: Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois
Date: 2015-06-19
summer foliage
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Date: 2008-05-09
full-grown old tree
Location: Frasier, Pennsylvania
Date: 2018-10-18
trunk of full-grown tree
Location: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Date: July
credit: Magnus Manske
Location: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Date: July
credit: Magnus Manske
Comments:
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Jan 2, 2018 4:37 PM concerning plant:
    Downy Hawthorn is somewhat common in the wild in the Chicago area. Its native range is from western new York and southeast Ontario to central Tennessee to northeast Oklahoma up through eastern Kansas & Nebraska & South Dakota to all through Minnesota and a little into southern Manitoba, in wet mesic bottomlands to dry uplands. It grows about 1 foot/year and lives about 75 to 100 years. It has large leaves for a Hawthorn, to about 4 inches by 4 inches. The leaves are fuzzy, light green, not shiny, and turn golden brown in autumn. The white flowers are about 10 in a cluster that is about 3 to 4 inches wide, borne in late May to early June, along with half-grown leaves. It has sharp thorns about 2 inches long. It does often get lots of Cedar Rust spots on the leaves. It bears dull red fruit about 1 inch wide in late August and September. Some native plant nurseries offer this species, but it is otherwise not used in landscaping.

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