BLACK HAWTHORN
crataegus douglasii

• also known as Douglas Hawthorn, Douglas Thorn, Douglas Thorn Apple, Western Thorn Apple, Western Black Haw
• 'crataegus' is from the Greek word 'kratos' which means "strength" referring to the strength of this wood
• 'douglasii' is after plant explorer David Douglas

UNIQUE FEATURES:

• because of their multitude of thorns (1 to 2 cm long)the English used the hawthorn to make fences to enclose cattle; the word 'hawthorn' is from the Anglo-Saxon word 'haguthorn' meaning 'fence with thorns'
• good nesting and denning for birds and small mammals because of the impenetrable thickets and thorns

LOCATION:

• south of Ft. St. John
• sea level to mid elevations
• in meadowland thickets and along water courses
• areas of abundant sunlight

SIZE:

• small tree or large shrub, often grows in a thicket
• up to 8 metres tall

FRUIT:

• small (1 cm) clusters of yellow, red or blackish "apples" or haw
• very seedy but sweet and edible
• when ripe, whither very quickly

FLOWERS:

• appear in May and June
• white, 5 petals
• saucer-shaped
• occur in flat-topped clusters
• have an unpleasant odor

LEAVES:

• oval, with 5 to 9 small lobes at the top
• sharp, shallow teeth
• 3 to 6 cm long
• leathery, glossy deep green on the top side when mature
• the thorns occur at the leaf exits

BARK:

• reddish, brown
• few shallow fissures

WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:

• strong

USES:

• modern - hedges
• traditional - wood: digging sticks, handles; thorns: pierce ears, lance boils and probe skin ulers, fish hooks; leaves, inner bark, new shoots: burned together and mixed the ashes with grease to make a black face paint