Crataegus opima

Beadle

Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 40. 1901.

Endemic
Synonyms: Crataegus abstrusa Beadle C. pulcherrima var. opima (Beadle) Lance
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 584. Mentioned on page 581, 582.

Shrubs or trees, 70 dm. Stems: twigs: new growth reddish-brown, 1-year old blackish brown, older gray; thorns on twigs absent or few to numerous, straight to slightly recurved, 2-years old dark-brown to blackish, slender, 2.5–4 cm. Leaves: petiole length 20–30% blade, sparsely short-stipitate-glandular; blade broadly ovate to ± deltate, 3–5 cm, length/width less than 1.5, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, lobes 3 or 4 per side, sinuses shallow in common form, lobe apex usually ± obtuse, angled or not, margins serrate, teeth subacute, veins 4 or 5 per side, apex subacute to obtuse, adaxial midvein sparsely pilose young. Inflorescences 4–7-flowered; branches glabrous or sparsely pilose; bracteoles caducous, sometimes curved, narrowly oblong, membranous to subherbaceous (and green), margins glandular. Flowers 16–18 mm diam.; sepals triangular, 4 mm, distal margins glandular-serrate; anthers cream to pale or deep purple; styles 3–5. Pomes yellow or red, suborbicular, 7–12 mm diam.; sepals on slight collar, erose or reflexed; pyrenes 3–5.


Phenology: Flowering early–mid Apr; fruiting Sep–Oct.
Habitat: Open woods, woodland margins
Elevation: 20–100 m

Discussion

Crataegus opima is found from southeastern Texas to Georgia.

Crataegus opima comprises the smaller leaved members of the series with proportionately broad leaves and more or less obtuse lobes that are few and shallow. Both red- and yellow-fruited forms are known, as are forms with cream or purple anthers. It is possible that, as elsewhere in the series, these forms should be recognized as distinct taxa, but more information would be required to decide this.

A distinctive local form of Crataegus opina is known with ovate to ovate-trullate leaves 5–8 cm, having 5–7(or 8) veins per side, and 5–8 usually short and sometimes subacute, deeper lobes per side.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number."short-stipitate-glandular" 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 opima"
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
cream +  and pale or deep purple +
subacute;obtuse +
James B. Phipps +
Beadle +
thin-exfoliating +  and corrugated +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
cuneate +  and broadly cuneate +
Pulcherrimae +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
0 +  and 1.5 +
broadly ovate +  and more or less deltate +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
pilose +  and glabrous +
adnate +  and distinct +
crowded +, scattered +  and alternate +
Ala. +, Ga. +, Miss. +  and Tex. +
not +  and aggregated +
20–100 m +
less hard +  and mealy +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 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 />) +
gray +, blackish brown +  and reddish-brown +
older +, old +  and new +
Open woods, woodland margins +
constricted +
crassinucellate +
deciduous +
craspedodromous +
stipitate-glandular +
crenate to serrate +
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 />) +
elliptic +  and circular +
0 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
pale paper brown +
free +  and distinct +
post-mature +
stipitate-glandular +
Flowering early–mid Apr +  and fruiting Sep–Oct. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
dark gray-brown +  and russet +
exfoliating +  and corrugated +
pruinose +
red +  and yellow +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
suborbicular +
Biltmore Bot. Stud. +
not arillate +
persistent +
free +  and distinct +
triangular +
nonaccrescent +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (?) +
1-50-flowered +  and few-leaved +
free +  and distinct +
branched +  and simple +
persistent +
distinct +
exsert +  and lateral +
elongate +
Crataegus abstrusa +  and C. pulcherrima var. opima +
Crataegus opima +
Crataegus (sect. Coccineae) ser. Pulcherrimae +
species +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
dark-brown +  and blackish +
straight +
slender +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
craspedodromous +  and gland-tipped +
subacute +
inconspicuous +
corrugated +  and rough +
less erect +  and oblique +
1 +  and several +
straight +
determinate +
few +  and numerous +
5 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
tree +  and shrub +