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Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-380
Common Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
Common Hawthorn is the classic hedging plant of Europe's old field system - a thorny tree that takes hard cutting and grows back dense enough to stop livestock. Its flower and fruit are used as a heart and circulation tonic, and the haws, young shoots, leaf and even the roasted seed all have a place in the kitchen. It flowers heavily for a short window in spring, pulling in a mass of pollinators, and birds spread the fruit far and fast. It is restricted as a noxious weed in several US states, so check local rules before planting it.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 4–8
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Moderate · Wet
Vertical layer
Sub-Canopy- Soil pH
- 5–8.5
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 19–30 ft
- Mature spread
- 19–25 ft
- Plant spacing
- 8–10 ft
- Root type
- Fibrous-deep
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
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Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
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American Hornbeam
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Ashe Juniper
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Banana Plantain
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Black Locust
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Chinese Quince
Pseudocydonia sinensis
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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