• Skip to main content
Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District Logo
  • Our Priorities
    • Clean and Abundant Water
    • Healthy Soil
    • Food & Farms
    • Thriving Habitat
    • Invasive Species Management
    • Resilient Forests
  • Our Programs
    • Rural Conservation
    • Urban Conservation
    • Forest Conservation
    • Habitat Conservation
    • Invasive Species
    • Conservation Education
    • Grants & Funding
  • Get Involved
  • Stay Informed
  • Subscribe
  • Our Story
  • Search
Home / Weed & Pest Directory / Species / Singleseed Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Singleseed Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

SWCD Branded Separator
  • Singleseed hawthorn dark green leaves and red berries.
  • Close up of singleseed hawthorn's dark red berries.
  • Red singleseed hawthorn berries
  • Close up of white singleseed hawthorn flowers
    Singleseed hawthorn flowers. Photo Credit: Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org
  • Two singleseed hawthorn shrubs with tiny red berries.
    Singleseed hawthorn shrubs. Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org
  • Singleseed hawthorn tree.

Also known as: English hawthorn, common hawthorn, oneseed hawthorn, Mayblossom

Like invasive blackberry, singleseed hawthorn is an all-too-common weed that is a thorn in landowners and land managers’ side! Commonly growing in vacant lots, forest understories, and along roadsides, this plant has sharp thorns that can pierce leather gloves! Even worse, this plant threatens endangered Oregon oak woodlands by outcompeting young seedlings.

Description:

Life Cycle:Perennial (life cycle lasts more than one year)
Early Detection and Rapid Response species:No
Height:Can grow up to 45 feet (14 meters), but more commonly between 6.5 – 20 feet (2 – 6 meters) tall.
Leaf Description:Dark green leaves are alternatively arranged with deep lobes. Its branches are smooth with pale grey bark and have many stout thorns.
Fruit & Flower Description:The flowers grow in clusters of five to twenty five and are white. Each flower has five petals.

The plant also produces egg-shaped, dark-red berries that contain a single seed.
Bloom Time:May to early June

Habitat:

  • Singleseed hawthorn thrives in a wide variety of habitats including forest understories and meadows.
  • It prefers moist soils, but established plants can survive in moderate drought conditions.

Impact:

  • Singleseed hawthorn is especially problematic in oak woodlands, where it outcompetes native Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana).
  • It can also hybridize with native Douglas hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii), creating a weedier, more competitive hybrid species.
  • It grows in thorny thickets that make it difficult for animals to access to water and food.

What you can do about it:

  • Pulling or digging up small hawthorn trees or shrubs is easiest in the fall through spring when the ground is damp. Make sure to monitor the area for several years and pull any re-sprouting plants.
  • Weed wrenches can assist with removing hawthorn. If you are in Washington County, we lend these tools for free from our Tool Loan Program.

Look-alikes:

White Douglas hawthorn leaves.
Douglas hawthorn leaves. (c) Robert L. Carr, courtesy of OregonFlora

The native Douglas hawthorn looks similar to singleseed hawthorn. Douglas hawthorn has stout thorns, like singleseed hawthorn, but its leaves are weakly lobed and its fruits are dark purple, rather than dark red.


Noxious Weed Listing:

State of Oregon:Class B
State of Washington:Class C

More Resources:

Download the Singleseed Hawthorn Best Management Practices Factsheet

Download Factsheet
  • Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook: English hawthorn
  • University of California, Weed Research & Information Center: English hawthorn
« Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola)
Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) »

Posted In:

AgriculturalCommonForestPlant
SWCD Branded Separator

Share:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email
Subscribe News Icon

Email me about caring for the soil and water!

Get Involved Icon

Find an Event

Calendar of Events
Upcoming Workshops

reflection in a lake

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Our Watershed
  • Our Staff
  • Our Board
  • Careers
  • Reports & Publications

Resources

  • Event Calendar
  • Weed & Pest Directory
  • Contractor Directory
  • Library & Videos
  • Tool Loan Program
  • News
  • Watershed Navigator

Contact Us

Tualatin Soil and Water
Conservation District
7175 NE Evergreen Pkwy #400
Hillsboro, OR. 97124

Phone: 503-334-2288
Office Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Email Us

Follow Us

العربية العربية 简体中文 简体中文 繁體中文 繁體中文 English English Filipino Filipino Français Français Deutsch Deutsch हिन्दी हिन्दी 한국어 한국어 Русский Русский Español Español Tiếng Việt Tiếng Việt

© 2023 Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District. All Rights Reserved. | Sitemap | Non-Discrimination Policy | Privacy Policy | Website Design by Hoopla Creative

 

Loading Comments...