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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Fruit.
Edible Uses:
Fruit - raw or cooked[2, 3, 95, 99, 101]. A very pleasant flavour with a sweet and juicy succulent flesh[46, 82, K], it makes an excellent dessert fruit and can be eaten in quantity[K]. The fruit can also be used for making pies, preserves etc, and can be dried for later use[183]. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter and is borne in small clusters[200]. The fruits I have eaten have been considerably larger than this[K]. There are up to five fairly large seeds in the centre of the fruit, these often stick together and so the effect is of eating a cherry-like fruit with a single seed[K].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antirheumatic; Astringent; Cardiotonic; Hypotensive; Poultice; Stomachic.
An infusion of the shoots has been used to treat diarrhoea in children and sores in babies mouths[257]. A poultice of the chewed leaves has been applied to swellings[257]. An infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[257]. An infusion of the sapwood, bark and roots has been used as a stomach medicine[257]. The thorns have been used as a treatment for arthritis[257].The point of the thorn was used to pierce an area affected by arthritic pain. The other end of the thorn was ignited and burned down to the point buried into the skin. This treatment was very painful but it was said that after a scab had formed and disappeared, the arthritic pain had also disappeared[257]. The thorns have been used as probes for boils and ulcers[257]. Although no other specific mention has been seen for this species, the fruits and flowers of many hawthorns are well-known in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic and modern research has borne out this use. The fruits and flowers have a hypotensive effect as well as acting as a direct and mild heart tonic[222]. They are especially indicated in the treatment of weak heart combined with high blood pressure[222]. Prolonged use is necessary for it to be efficacious[222]. It is normally used either as a tea or a tincture[222].
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Other Uses
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Needles; Wood.
The spines on the branches are used as needles for lancing boils, removing splinters etc[99]. Wood - close-grained, heavy, hard and tough. Used for tool handles etc[82, 99, 101].
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Cultivation details
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A very easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained moisture retentive loamy soil but is not at all fussy[11, 200]. Once established, it succeeds in excessively moist soils and also tolerates drought[200]. It grows well on a chalk soil and also in heavy clay soils[200]. A position in full sun is best when plants are being grown for their fruit, they also succeed in semi-shade though fruit yields and quality will be lower in such a position[11, 200]. Most members of this genus succeed in exposed positions, they also tolerate atmospheric pollution[200]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200]. Seedling trees take from 5 - 8 years before they start bearing fruit, though grafted trees will often flower heavily in their third year[K]. The flowers have a foetid smell somewhat like decaying fish. This attracts midges which are the main means of fertilization. When freshly open, the flowers have more pleasant scent with balsamic undertones[245]. Seedlings should not be left in a seedbed for more than 2 years without being transplanted[11].
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Propagation
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Seed - this is best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame, some of the seed will germinate in the spring, though most will probably take another year. Stored seed can be very slow and erratic to germinate, it should be warm stratified for 3 months at 15°c and then cold stratified for another 3 months at 4°c[164]. It may still take another 18 months to germinate[78]. Scarifying the seed before stratifying it might reduce this time[80]. Fermenting the seed for a few days in its own pulp may also speed up the germination process[K]. Another possibility is to harvest the seed 'green' (as soon as the embryo has fully developed but before the seedcoat hardens) and sow it immediately in a cold frame. If timed well, it can germinate in the spring[80]. If you are only growing small quantities of plants, it is best to pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in individual pots for their first year, planting them out in late spring into nursery beds or their final positions. When growing larger quantities, it might be best to sow them directly outdoors in a seedbed, but with protection from mice and other seed-eating creatures. Grow them on in the seedbed until large enough to plant out, but undercut the roots if they are to be left undisturbed for more than two years.
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Botanical References
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1143200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[3]Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit.
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A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
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[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.
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A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
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[43]Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany.
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A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[78]Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.
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A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
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[80]McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed.
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Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.
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[82]Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America.
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Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.
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[95]Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada.
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Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.
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[99]Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology.
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Excellent and readable guide.
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[101]Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada.
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A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.
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[164]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
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Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
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[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
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An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
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[257]Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany
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Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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Subject : Crataegus douglasii
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