Crataegus apiifolia
(Marshall.) Michx.
Parsley-leaved hawthorn, Parsley haw
(c) Joey Thompson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) wildcreek, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) wildcreek, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, including in pies and preserves, and can also be dried for later use. It is about 7.5mm in diameter with a thin flesh. Up to five fairly large seeds sit at the centre, and as these tend to fuse together, eating the fruit is much like eating a cherry with a single stone.
Where to Find It
It is a warm temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 7-10.
North America, USA,
How to Identify
A spiny shrub. The leaves are 25-50 mm wide and have lobes. There are teeth along the edge. The leaves are stems are downy when young. The flowers occur in clusters of 12. Each flower is about 25 mm across. The flowers are white with pink anthers. The fruit are small, red and egg shaped.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seed. The seed need cold treatment. Plants can also be grafted.
Propagation: Seed is best sown fresh in autumn in a cold frame; some will germinate the following spring, though most will likely take a further year. Stored seed germinates slowly and erratically — warm stratify for 3 months at 15°C, then cold stratify for 3 months at 4°C, after which germination may still take another 18 months. Scarifying before stratification may shorten this period, and fermenting the seed for a few days in its own pulp may also help. Alternatively, harvest seed green — once the embryo is fully formed but before the seedcoat hardens — and sow immediately in a cold frame for possible spring germination. For small quantities, pot seedlings individually as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on for the first year before planting out in late spring. For larger quantities, sow directly in a protected outdoor seedbed and undercut the roots if plants will remain there for more than two years.
Medicinal Uses
Though no specific research has been recorded for this species, the fruits and flowers of hawthorns broadly are well established in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic, and modern research supports this. Both fruits and flowers exert a hypotensive effect and act as a gentle, direct heart tonic. They are particularly suited to treating a weak heart accompanied by high blood pressure. Prolonged use is required for effective results, and the plant is typically taken as a tea or tincture.
Other Uses
This species is used as a dwarfing rootstock for C. aestivalis. The wood is heavy, hard, strong, and close-grained, weighing 46lb per cubic foot. It has no particular commercial value but is useful for making small items such as tool handles and mallets.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Crataegus apiifolia is an illegitimate name for two species of hawthorns: Crataegus marshallii, parsley hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, common hawthorn
Notes
There are 200 or more Crataegus species.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 238
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 197 (As Crataegus marshalli)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
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