Hawthorn: “Fairy Tree” and Treasure of the Food Forest

While considering what plant to feature this month, I took a stroll through my backyard and noticed a few bright red berries on the ground—hawberries, or haws—which had fallen from one of our hawthorn trees.

We were fortunate to inherit two hawthorns when we moved into our house. Even though I knew what the two old trees in our yard were and that the berries were useful for birds and for making a “heart tonic,” I knew little else about hawthorn. It’s time to learn more about these useful trees.

Hawthorns are often grown as ornamental trees and hedges. They are small to medium-sized trees or large shrubs, growing anywhere from fifteen to fifty feet tall, depending on the species.

Hawthorns offer profuse white, pink, or scarlet blooms in May. The small bright red (sometimes black) berries (also called haws or hawberries) ripen in late Autumn and can hang on to the trees well into the winter, making them an excellent source of wildlife food in the winter months.

Why Reconsider Cutting Down a Hawthorn Tree?

Our Hawthorn trees are old with a fair bit of deadwood, and when we first moved in we considered cutting them down. I’m glad we didn’t for several reasons.

First, even our old, scraggly specimens become beautiful in spring with deep pink blossoms (most hawthorns have white flowers, just as beautiful as the pink).

Second, the hawthorn is, I have learned, a useful tree to have in a food forest. I’ll get into that more soon.

Finally, it’s known from Irish lore that fairies guard hawthorn trees, and it’s considered bad luck to cut one down. Farmers even leave lone hawthorns, “fairy trees,” in their crop fields to avoid misfortune.

Hawthorn Taxonomy

Hawthorn is in the family Rosaceae (rose family) and the genus Crataegus. Crataegus is a derivation of the Greek word kratos, meaning “strength.” It is aptly named since hawthorn wood is a strong, hardwood,

Roughly 280 hawthorn species exist, with varieties native to various temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.

Hawthorn Species

Too many hawthorn species and hybrids exist to list here, but below are a few of the more common varieties. Mayhaw is a variety of hawthorn that typically is early to bloom and fruit, with relatively large berries.

• Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) – one seed hawthorn (some species have two seeds per berry, but monogyna has only one)
• English Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)
• Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) – Native to Western United States, black haws
• Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)
• Western Mayhaw (Crataegus opaca) – Large, abundant berries, early fruiting
• Chinese Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) – known as Shan Zha in China, abundant One inch-diameter fruits
• Apple Hawthorn, Eastern Mayhaw (Crataegus aestivalis)

Ecosystem Services of the Hawthorn Tree

Like most trees, hawthorn trees provide many ecosystem services. Because of their small size, and multiple uses, hawthorn can be a valuable addition to a food forest.

• Ecosystem structure as a canopy or sub-canopy tree
• Wildlife shelter and habitat (birds, small mammals, insects)
• Wildlife food (hawberries provide food for birds and mammals, and flower nectar provides food for insects)
• Native pollinator attractor (hawthorn are pollinated primarily by bees and midges)

Hawthorn Uses

Beyond its role in an ecosystem, hawthorn also has several uses for humans, with multiple parts of the plant being edible and medicinal, among other uses.

• Edible berries – Hawberries are small (1/4″ – 1″ diameter), round or oblong, and usually red (sometimes black) with relatively large seeds for the size of the fruit. Their flavor is something like that of an apple.
• Edible young leaves – Young leaves are edible and make tasty salad greens.
• Edible flowers – Hawthorn flowers make a lovely salad garnish.
• Medicinal berries and leaves (good for heart health, lowering blood pressure)
• Berries are high in pectin (good for making jams and jellies)
• Useful for grafting (rootstock for pear and apple, or can be grafted onto apple or pear)
• Hardwood is good for making tool handles, fence posts, and wildcrafting.

Harvesting Hawthorn Berries, Flowers, and Leaves

Harvest time depends on what part of the plant you’re harvesting.

The best time of year to harvest hawthorn leaves is in early spring when its leaves are small and tender. Later in the season, the leaves become too tough to eat.

Hawthorn flowers, or Mayflowers, symbolize love and good fortune and typically bloom around the first of May. Traditionally, flowers were gathered on May Day and used to make spring garlands. But the flowers are also edible and make a pretty addition to green salads this time of year.

Hawberries ripen in October and November. It’s best to start harvesting after the first frost, but they can be harvested as long as the berries remain on the trees into the winter. Berries left on the trees provide valuable wildlife food in the cold months.

Hawthorn Cautions

Remember to use caution any time you eat new foods. I’m not a nutritional, medical, or herbal specialist, and the information on this website is for informational purposes only. Basically, use common sense, and don’t use any of the plants I talk about on this website, including hawthorn, medicinally, without further research and professional advice. See my full disclaimer for more information.

When harvesting any part of the hawthorn plant, beware of it’s namesake, the long needle-like thorns on the branches.

Conclusion

Many people know hawthorns as beautiful ornamentals, but these trees have much more to offer. With edible young leaves, flowers, and berries, medicinal properties, and myriad other uses and ecosystem services, hawthorns can make valuable additions to food forests. And if you’re fortunate enough to have your own hawthorn tree, remember its fair-folk guardians (*wink) and think twice before cutting it down!

Resources

• American Botanical Council – Hawthorn
• Plants for a Future – Crataegus Species – The Hawthorns
• Milkwood – Hawthorn: Foraging and Using – for heart and immunity care
• Ireland Calling – Hawthorn – the fairy tree