Glossy hawthorn is a tree found primarily along the Mississippi River floodplain although it is becoming rare. It has a dense rounded crown which is often irregular in appearance, with lower limbs sweeping outwards under the erect upper limbs. It also can be found growing as a multi-trunk shrub. The stems can have up to 2-inch long thorns although they are sometimes stunted or not present. It grows in slightly acidic to alkaline clay to gritty sandy soils in sun to light shade. The 2-inch racemes of white flowers can be showy although they don't have a pleasant odor. The leaves are glossy and have a red-orange fall color. The red fruit is edible and sometimes used for jellies. Glossy Hawthorn grows well in moist, well-drained soils in full sun. It tolerates a wide range of soil, including clay, light shade, some drought, and urban pollutants. Although this tree is drought and pollution tolerant, it is not a great landscape tree due to its susceptibility to disease and insects. It is best used in native restorations. It can also be pruned to a low height and, with its formidable thorns, used as a barrier plant on property borders or in hedges. Insect, Disease, and Plant Problems: Fireblight and rusts can be problematic with this species, as can various borers and mites. Thorns can present a hazard to children.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
The alternate 1 to 3 inch leaves are elliptic to oblong-obovate. The margins are coarsely serrated and slightly lobed, while the apex is acuminate and the base cuneate. The leaf undersides are paler than their dark green upper surfaces. Fall color is orange-red.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Dome
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
White dome-shaped flowers in corymbs of 10 to 20 blooms appear in April-May and have an unpleasant odor that attracts midges for fertilization. Individual flowers are 1/2 inch long.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
3/8 inch rounded reddish fruits ripen in the fall and may persist till spring. Enjoyed by birds.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
Bark is thin and gray. Mature trunk bark broken into gray-brown plate-like scales.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Stems are chestnut brown and sometimes have thorns depending on their age.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Northern and Eastern United States
Distribution
AR, IL, MO, OH, PA, TN, WI
Wildlife value
This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval host plant for Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Red-spotted Purple and Viceroy rarely use this host plant in North Carolina.