Crataegus lepida

Beadle

Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 36. 1901.

Common names: Dwarf hawthorn
Conservation concernEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 621. Mentioned on page 619, 622, 623.

Shrubs, 5–10 (–20) dm, dense and twiggy, branches not weeping except in larger specimens, capable of flowering at 3 dm. Stems: trunk bark dark gray, scaly; twigs: new growth appressed-pubescent, 1-year old brown, slender; thorns on twigs straight, 1–2-years old color not recorded, fine, 0.6–2 cm. Leaves late deciduous to wintergreen; stipules herbaceous, falcate, margins glandular; petiole length 15–30% blade, winged distally, pubescent, glandular; blade deep green, broadly obovate to ± isodiametric, 0.6–1.5 cm, coriaceous, base abruptly contracted, lobes 0 or 1 per side, subterminal, barely bumps, sinuses extremely shallow, lobe apex obtuse, margins minutely glandular-crenate to sometimes with conspicuous, glandular-scalloped teeth distally, veins 1 or 2 per side, apex obtuse or with slight apiculus, ± glossy, abaxial surface pubescent, especially on veins, adaxial very sparsely appressed-pilose young, particularly so on veins. Inflorescences 1–3-flowered; branches appressed-pubescent; bracteoles linear, gland-margined. Flowers 12 mm diam.; hypanthium pubescent; sepals triangular, margins ± entire, abaxially pubescent; anthers ivory; styles 3 or 4. Pomes yellow-green to yellow or orange, broadly ellipsoid to suborbicular, 8–13 mm diam., black gland-dotted, pubescent; sepals broken off or recurved; pyrenes 3.2n = 51, 68.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Dwarf scrub, sandy areas including inland dunes
Elevation: 0–100 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Crataegus lepida is a scarce, distinctive species occurring at scattered localities from central Florida to southern Georgia and South Carolina. A sterile specimen from Louisiana (Thomas 57507) may be this species.

In central Florida, plants of Crataegus lepida start their extension growth and flower in May, long after growth of other nearby plants has started, while further north anthesis about the second week of April is usual. The southern populations are also the most wintergreen in the species. Thus, the central Florida plants appear to be ecophysiologically distinct and should be investigated further. Particularly small-leaved specimens with numerous, small, sharp marginal teeth may represent C. garrettii of Murrill.

Crataegus lepida is a dwarf semi-evergreen shrub with dark, glossy, often suborbiculate leaves that are striking in the field. Larger specimens might be confused with C. egens.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number."winged" is not a number."adnate" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Crataegus lepida"
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
with slight apiculus;obtuse +
James B. Phipps +
Beadle +
thin-exfoliating +  and corrugated +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
narrowly cuneate +  and rounded +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
broadly obovate +  and more or less isodiametric +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
semipersistent +, caducous +  and deciduous +
appressed-pubescent +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (?) +
adnate +  and distinct +
crowded +, scattered +  and alternate +
Dwarf hawthorn +
spreading +  and pendulous +
Fla. +, Ga. +  and S.C. +
not +  and aggregated +
0–100 m +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (?) +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
yellow +  and red or purplish +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
old +  and new +
appressed-pubescent +
slender +
Dwarf scrub, sandy areas including inland dunes +
constricted +
crassinucellate +
deciduous +  and wintergreen +
subterminal +
eglandular +  and craspedodromous +
glandular-crenate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
firm +  and coriaceous +
inferior +  and superior +
biseriate +  and clustered +
collateral +  and basal +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
circular +  and elliptic +
0 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
pale paper brown +
free +  and distinct +
post-mature +
Flowering Apr–May +  and fruiting Jul–Aug. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
dark gray-brown +  and russet +
exfoliating +  and corrugated +
pruinose +
black gland-dotted +, yellow-green +  and yellow or orange +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
broadly ellipsoid +  and suborbicular +
Biltmore Bot. Stud. +
not arillate +
circumscissile +
persistent +
free +  and distinct +
triangular +
nonaccrescent +
1-50-flowered +  and few-leaved +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
free +  and distinct +
branched +  and simple +
persistent +
distinct +
exsert +  and lateral +
elongate +
woolly-tomentose +
Crataegus lepida +
Crataegus (sect. Coccineae) ser. Lacrimatae +
species +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
straight +
slender +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
craspedodromous +  and gland-tipped +
conspicuous +
glandular-scalloped +
inconspicuous +
less erect +  and oblique +
1 +  and several +
straight +
determinate +
sparse +  and numerous +
2 (?) +  and 1 (?) +