Flora of New Zealand Series

hawthorn

Shrub or small tree, up to 10 m when mature, armed with axillary spines up to 12-(20) mm long, the longest spines associated with short flowering shoots; stems glabrous, smooth and reddish brown when young but becoming grey when older. Lvs solitary on vigorous vegetative shoots but in fascicles on short shoots; petiole 5-25 mm long, greenish, narrowly winged, grooved above; blade ± deltoid to rhombic, (25)-35-50-(70) × (25)-35-45-(70) mm, deeply lobed, glabrous, dark to mid green above, paler below with primary veins obvious, deeply lobed; lobes 3-7, ascending, oblong, usually entire in lower 1/2 and sparingly and irregularly serrate near the acute apex; stipules of vegetative shoots reniform with prominently toothed margins, those of short shoots smaller and deciduous. Fls many in flat corymbs on leafy short shoots scattered along branches; corymbs subtended by small, leafy, acute bracts; bracts often larger and toothed on younger stems; pedicels 5-11-(18) mm long, often bearing scattered, fine, white hairs. Sepals greenish, finely pilose at least in lower part; lobes triangular to oblong, subacute, becoming reflexed. Petals broadly ovate to orbicular, 4-8 mm diam., rounded to crenulate, spreading, usually white, rarely red-pink. Stamens < petals; filaments white or sometimes pale pink; anthers pink. Style usually 1. Fr. broadly oblong to subglobose, 7-11 mm diam., dark red, shining, crowned by deflexed sepals; nutlets usually 1.

N.; S.: widespread throughout in both rural and urban localities up to c. 400 m; St.: Halfmoon Bay.

Europe 1899

Waste places, roadsides, scrub covered and grassy hillsides, often as a relic from hedge and shelterbelt plantings or an escape in the vicinity.

FL Oct-Nov FT Dec-Apr.

C. monogyna is commonly grown in temperate countries as an ornamental shrub and as a hedge plant; last century the sp. was imported into many parts of N.Z. It is exceedingly variable and several cvs are grown. Healy, A. J., Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 77: 179 (1948), pointed out that records of C. laevigata (Poiret) DC. (C. oxycantha L.) wild in N.Z. were probably in error for C. monogyna. C. laevigata is commonly cultivated in N.Z., mainly or possibly only as double-flowered cvs such as `Paul's Scarlet'. It is distinguished from C. laevigata by the shorter and broader serrulate lf lobes and usually by the presence of 2 styles.