Stone’s hawthorn

Crataegus biltmoreana Beadle var. stonei (Sargent) Kruschke

Shrubs, 10–20 dm. Stems: twigs: new growth reddish green, glabrous or villous, 1-year old dull reddish brown, eventually gray; thorns on twigs ± straight, 2-years old blackish, ultimately gray, ± slender, 4–6 cm. Leaves: petiole length 30–40% blade, ˂winged distally˃, villous, glandular; blade narrowly ovate, 7–8 cm, base cuneate, lobes 0 or 1–3 per side, sinuses shallow, lobe apex acute, margins serrate, ˂teeth gland-tipped˃, veins 4 or 5 per side, apex acuminate, abaxial surface sparsely villous along veins, adaxial sparsely villous. Inflorescences 4–6-flowered; branches villous; bracteoles not seen. Flowers 18–20 mm diam.; hypanthium densely pubescent; sepal length not recorded, margins coarsely glandular-serrate, ˂acuminate, abaxially pubescent˃; stamens 5–10, anthers pink; styles 3 or 4. Pomes dull yellow to russet, broadly ellipsoid, 12–14 mm diam., hairy; sepals on collar, ± reflexed; pyrenes 3 or 4.

Flowering late May–early Jun; fruiting Sep–Oct. Woods, openings; of conservation concern; 20–300 m; Mass., N.Y., Pa.

Crataegus stonei is another species related to C. biltmoreana, from which it differs mainly in its pink anthers, proportionately narrower and more elongate leaves, and lower stature.