Washington Hawthorn

Crataegus phaenopyrum

Pollinator Value

🔑 Keystone: Crataegus is a keystone genus supporting 156 lepidoptera species in the region. Washington hawthorn's persistent fruit, dense thorny branching, and spring bloom provide year-round resources for birds, mammals, and invertebrates, making it a critical wildlife hub in edge and early-successional habitats.
S13 156 lepidoptera; S10 extensive faunal associations; S57 16 bird species
❄️ Winter Food Source: Persistent bright-red pomes hang in drooping clusters through winter, providing critical food for Cedar Waxwing, Northern Cardinal, Fox Sparrow, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Pine Grosbeak, Ruffed Grouse, and Wild Turkey. Gray Fox, Black Bear, and Striped Skunk also consume the fruit. Dense thorny branching offers winter shelter and nesting cover for Blue Jay, Brown Thrasher, and Willow Flycatcher.
S10 bird and mammal list; S57 16 bird species; S72 Fr+Sh bird services

Proximity Score: 3a
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: S
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.4 – Ozark, Ouachita-Appalachian Forests, 8.4.2 – Central Appalachians
Rarity Notes: Not listed under SARA. NatureServe global rank G4 (apparently secure). Native range is the southeastern United States; introduced status in Ontario and absent from Quebec. National rank in Canada is NNA (not applicable as non-native).
S22 G4, NNA; S26 SARA not listed; S1 introduced ON
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON SNA – Not Applicable
Migration: Disjunct
Ecological Context: Native to the southeastern United States from Virginia to Georgia and west to Missouri, Washington hawthorn occupies open woods, streambanks, and rocky areas in rich soils. It colonizes forest edges and early-successional habitats, forming dense thickets in old fields. Its disjunct status relative to the Outaouais reflects a core range well south of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region.
S4 habitat; S10 niche; S29 range; S61 habitats

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Wildlife Habitat
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S10 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only); S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Wildlife Habitat: S72 Hemenway (tables: 10-1, 7-2, pp. 116, 149)]
Notes: Functions as a wildlife habitat tree in food forest and guild plantings. Hemenway lists hawthorn as a low tree layer element providing fruit and shelter for birds. Dense thorny structure creates a living fence that deters deer and protects understory plantings. Best sited at woodland edges where its thorns serve as a barrier and its flowers and fruit support pollinators and frugivores.
S72 low_tree layer, wildlife_habitat, bird services Fr+Sh; S29 woodland garden secondary, sunny edge

Category: Cardiotonic, Hypotensive
S29 PFAF medicinal uses
Notes: Fruits and flowers of hawthorns are well-known in herbal folk medicine as a heart tonic. They have a hypotensive effect and act as a direct mild heart tonic, especially indicated for weak heart combined with high blood pressure. Prolonged use necessary for efficacy. No specific ethnobotanical records for this species in Moerman.
S29 medicinal description; S28 no Moerman records

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Fruit edible raw or cooked but very small (about 5 mm diameter) with dry flesh and up to five large seeds. Often persists on the tree all winter. Historically gathered but not a significant food source due to minimal flesh.
S29 edible parts and description