Crataegus lanuginosa

Shrubs or arborescent shrubs, 20–80 dm. Stems: trunk bark pale, stout; twigs: new growth light green, villous, at end of 1st year dull red-brown, sparsely villous or pubescent, strongly flexuous, 1-year old gray-brown, stout; thorns on twigs numerous, straight, shiny purplish black, ultimately ashy gray, stout, (3–)7(–9) cm. Leaves: stipules caducous, oblong, foliaceous, acute, villous, minutely red glandular; petiole stout, length 25–30% blade, slightly grooved, densely tomentose, glandularity not recorded; blade bluish, short-ovate to suborbiculate, 4–5 cm, less than 1/2 grown when flowers open, subcoriaceous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, lobes 1 or 2 per side, short, wide, lobe apex acute, margins coarsely, sharply doubly serrate, teeth glandular, veins 3–5 per side, apex acute or rounded and short-pointed, abaxial surface yellow-green, tomentose, midvein prominent, adaxial dark or bluish green, lustrous, densely hoary tomentose, later scabrous. Inflorescences 5–10-flowered, compact; branches hoary-tomentose; bracteoles persistent, oblong-obovate, (smaller) membranous or (larger) herbaceous, margins finely glandular-serrate, apex acute or rounded, villous. Flowers 20 mm diam.; hypanthium densely covered with long, matted, white hairs; sepals broad, short, margins stipitate-glandular, abaxially densely villous; stamens 20, anthers rose; styles 5, base surrounded by large tufts of white hairs. Pomes in clusters on erect, tomentose pedicels, dark crimson, sometimes with pale dots, orbicular to suborbicular or short-oblong, 10–12 mm diam., slightly hairy at ends; flesh thin, orange, dry, mealy; calyces sessile, enlarged, with wide deep cavity; sepals persistent, usually erect and spreading or incurved, coarsely serrate, villous; pyrenes 5, dorsally irregularly grooved, sides smooth, acute at ends.

Phenology: Flowering late Apr; fruiting late Oct.
Habitat: Dry, gravelly hills
Elevation: 100–200 m

Mo.

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Crataegus lanuginosa was recorded as common near Webb City, Jasper County, in the early part of the 20th century; it has not been collected since 1957. The species is distinguished from others of ser. Molles by its relatively small leaves of a distinctly bluish color; the dark crimson, hard fruits, and remarkable development of the thorns, are also unusual in ser. Molles, as is the habitat on dry gravelly hills (when 20–30 dm tall), although it also occurs in more mesic sites (when 40–80 dm tall).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa