Hawthorns and crab apples both grow tiny, apple-like fruit. Telling the two apart by fruit alone can be challenging. Thankfully, there are many other differences between the trees that can help you to determine which type you already have, or which type works best for your yard.
Hawthorns and crab apples are not very closely related trees. While they share the same family Rosaceae and tribe Malinae, that is as far as the relation goes. Hawthorns come from the genus Crataegus, while crab apples are genus Malus. Both can be commonly found in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 4 through 8, with some species and cultivars extending beyond in either direction.
Identifying a hawthorn or crab apple by the tree shape alone can be quite difficult. Crab apples are most often tree-like, although they can be wide, tall, short, dense, weeping, conical or any other shape imaginable. Hawthorns can also be many shapes and sizes, with some species growing as tall as 30 feet. The "Common Hawthorn" (Crataegus monogyna) is perhaps the most common of the hawthorns in the United States. This deciduous tree is shrub-like and thorny, likely giving the species its common name. Conversely, crab apples don't have thorns.
Crab apple blooms are beautiful in sight and scent. The pink and white flowers are sweet and fragrant, drawing in bees and humans alike. Although similarly colored and equally lovely in appearance, some hawthorns can be quite unpleasant smelling. British legend held that bringing a Hawthorn into a home was a bad omen. The people believed it smelled like the Great Plague and its presence signaled death. Modern science uncovered that the hawthorn blossom contains the chemical trimethylamine, which is the first chemical produced in decomposition. Both crab apples and hawthorns are self-fertile, which means they will produce blooms and fruit without another species located nearby. If there are same species nearby, they can and often do cross-pollinate. This cross-pollination creates seeds that are not true-to-type and will not produce offspring identical to the parent tree.
Both crab apples and hawthorns produce fruit. Crab apples, true to their Malus genus, produce tiny apples. They are usually green and quite sour, but are excellent for making jellies. Hawthorn fruits, or haws, come in many colors from yellow to red and even black.They are berry-like in appearance and texture, but are technically pomes, just like crab apples. Some varieties are inedible, but others can be used for cooking or eaten raw by those who enjoy a tart flavor. However, the seeds contain a cyanide compound and should not be eaten, so the practicality of using the fruit in cooking is limited. Both types of trees are attractive to wildlife, from bees and butterflies during pollination season to birds and small animals when the fruits are ripe.
- Trees for Life: Mythology and Folklore of the Hawthorn
- J. Frank Schmidt and Son: Crabapple Information Chart
- Plants for the Future: Crataegus Species- The Hawthorns
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County: Hawthorns and Crabapples
- King County, Washington Noxious Weeds: Common Hawthorn
- Eat the Weeds: Hawthorn Harvest
- Beeson's McHenery County Nursery: Hawthorns- The Wild Ones
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