FNPS Plant Database

Crataegus aestivalis

May haw, apple haw
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

May haw, apple haw

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Crataegus aestivalis

Family:

Rosaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

25-30 ft tall by 35-40 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or wildlife planting for moist areas. Screen plant. Suggested by IFAS as a median planting or buffer planting for roadways.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. Sow fresh but may require a year or more to sprout.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars

Larval food for hummingbird clearwing ( Hemaris thysbe )and blinded sphinx ( Paonias excaecata ).





Attracts pollinators, especially important for native bees.

Apparently less interesting as a wildlife food tree than some other haws. 

Native Habitats:

In and near pools and small ponds, floodplains, swamps, especially where water stands much of the time.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The various sources have conflicting opinions on the fruit and its uses.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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