| General Description | Dark red flowers are produced in the spring and dark green leaves turn purplish red in the autumn. Red fruit is produced and lasts into the winter months.
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| ID Characteristic | This tree is easy to identify because of the 5 cm long thorns that grow on the branches. Dark green foliage in summer, purple-red in autumn. Very dense large shrub or small tree.
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| Shape | As broad as it is high, often flat topped. |
| Propagation | Hawthorns can be grown from seed but could take up to 20 years to flower. A more expedient way of propagation is grafting a stem cutting to a seedling rootstock.
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| Cultivation | Grows best in full sun or partial shade in well drained soils. Can adapt well to urban conditions. Suckers will come up frequently; remove them.
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| Pests | Fireblight, leaf blight, rusts, borers, caterpillars, canker, powdery mildew, scab and fungal leaf spot are a possibility.
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| Notable Specimens | The Gardens of Fanshawe College, London, Ontario. |
| Habitat | Often found on fast draining river edge or dry upland areas. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Rough scaly and has many 5 cm long sharp thorns.
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| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Small 0.5 cm oblong buds with 6 exposed fleshy red scales.
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| Leaf Description | Medium sized dark green leaves that turn red in the autumn. Strongly obovate, 7.5 cm long.
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| Flower Description | Dark red flower, blooms in the spring, 5 cm wide, similar to the flower of a rose bush. Blooms for about 2 weeks.
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| Fruit Description | Red apple like fruit ripening in the autumn and persisting until early winter. They are edible but contain many seeds and are dry. 0.5-1 cm in size in a corymb.
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| Texture Description | A medium textured plant in leaf but fine textured in winter. |