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Weed Identification

cockspur hawthorn

Family

Rosaceae

Scientific Name

Crataegus crus-galli

Synonyms (former Scientific Names):

Crataegus cocksii
Crataegus danielsii
Crataegus vallicola
Crataegus canbyi
Crataegus sabineana
Crataegus acutifolia
Crataegus barrettiana
Crataegus fecunda
Crataegus algens
Crataegus palliata
Crataegus subpilosa
Crataegus mohrii
Crataegus operta
Crataegus permixta
Crataegus hannibalensis
Crataegus denaria
Crataegus signata
Crataegus tenax
Crataegus triumphalis
Crataegus acutifolia
Crataegus bushii
Crataegus palmeri
Crataegus tantula
Crataegus cherokeensis
Crataegus fontanesiana
Crataegus regalis
Crataegus pyracanthoides

Leaves

Leaves are broadest above or near the middle, thick, leathery, shiny dark green above, usually not lobed, and smooth

Identifying Characteristics

It is a small tree that grows twenty to thirty feet high, twenty to thirty-five feet wide; with wide-spreading, horizontal, thorny branches

Flower Seed Head

Flowers ranging from white to red are produced in clusters.

Seed Fruit

Fruits are broadest above the middle or rounded, dull red or green.

Where Found

Cockspur hawthorn grows from southern Quebec, and Ontario to northern Louisiana, Alabama and northwestern Georgia, and west to Kansas

Life Cycle

perennial

Plant Type

Shrub