This is a small tree growing up to about 10 meters tall and 8 meters wide, rounded in form when young and spreading and flattening as it matures. The leaves are 5 to 6 centimeters long, glossy dark green in color and turning gold to red in the fall. The flowers are white and have a scent generally considered unpleasant. The fruits are small pomes that vary in colour, usually a shade of red.[3] Most wild varieties[specify] of the tree are heavily armed in sharp thorns several centimeters long.[citation needed]
A Cockspur Thorn tree in flower, Oxfordshire UK, 5th May 2022.
Cultivation
This species is a popular ornamental tree, especially var. inermis, which lacks thorns. Many other wild forms would be very suitable for landscaping if better known, and yellow-fruited forms exist.[3]
Uses
The fruit is edible and can be made into jelly or crushed to make tea.[4]
^Phipps, J.B. (2015), "Crataegus crus-galli Linnaeus", in L. Brouillet; K. Gandhi; C.L. Howard; H. Jeude; R.W. Kiger; J.B. Phipps; A.C. Pryor; H.H. Schmidt; J.L. Strother; J.L. Zarucchi (eds.), Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 9: Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae, New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 538–619
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Crataegus crus-galli L.". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
