Crataegus douglasii var. douglasii Lindl.
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TAXONOMY
 
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Crataegus
 
Species Synonyms: Crataegus columbiana T.J. Howell
Crataegus williamsii Egglest.
Common Names: black hawthorn
black-fruited hawthorn
Columbian hawthorn
Douglas’s hawthorn
 
DISTRIBUTION
 
Canada: British Columbia – southern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan, south-central Ontario
Saskatchewan: southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills – Gravelbourg
Ecoregion: Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland
 
HABITAT
 
Saskatchewan: shore shrub-thickets and open woods
Associated Species: Populus sp.
 
RARITY STATUS
 
Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):
Vulnerable
Nature Conservancy Status:
G5T4 S2
Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:
None
COSEWIC Status:
None
 
Crataegus douglasii var. douglasii is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. It is only somewhat regionally restricted in the province and is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No threats are known or anticipated for this species at the present time.
 
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
 
Height: 1 – 1.5 m
Stems: shrub or small tree; thorns stout, usually less than 2 cm long or absent
Leaves: alternate, petioled, simple, 1.5 – 5 cm long, ovate, glabrous or nearly so, margin irregularly serrate, more or less lobed on upper half; lobes in 2 – 4 pairs, small, irregular
Inflorescence: corymbs small
Flowers: hypanthium cup-shaped; calyx 5-merous; corolla 5-merous, white; stamens 5 – 10, anthers white or pale pink; carpels 2 – 5
Fruits: pome berry-like, purplish-black, juicy; nutlets 3 – 5, irregularly pitted
 
CRATAEGUS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
 
1 Fruit purplish-black; thorns absent or less than 2 cm
C. douglasii
1 Fruit orange to red; thorns 3 cm or longer
2
   
2 Nutlets smooth on inner surface; leaf margins not gland-tipped; leaves widest below the middle
C. chrysocarpa
2 Nutlets pitted on inner surface; leaf margins gland-tipped; leaves widest above the middle
C. succulenta