Hawthorn

Sceach Gheal
Latin name: Crataegus monogyna

The hawthorn is one of Ireland’s most common shrubs, although you may know it by some other names, like whitethorn or mayflower. It is a deciduous shrub and usually grows to about six metres high.

The hawthorn can easily survive cutting, and can re-sprout and start growing again even if cut right down to the ground.

Fruits of the Hawthorn

Carsten Krieger

Fruits of the Hawthorn
Carsten Krieger

Fruits of the Hawthorn

Carsten Krieger

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You will often see the hawthorn growing as hedgerows, as its tough, thorny branches quickly grow into a thick bush. This is ideal to stop animals from straying out of fields.

The hawthorn and the blackthorn are very similar shrubs, but if you are up close to a hawthorn, it is easy to recognise.

The woody stems are a pale grey colour that turns pinkish with age, while the stems of a blackthorn are a much darker colour.

Lobed leaves grow on the hawthorn just before it begins to flower. From April to June, clusters of white flowers emerge, making the brambly hawthorn a very pretty shrub. Each flower has five petals that sometimes have a light pink colour.

Have you ever walked past a hawthorn when its flowers are in full bloom?

If you have, you’re sure to have noticed the unpleasant smell! This is because it needs to attract flies to help in pollination. As you know, flies are particularly attracted to bad smells such as manure! As the autumn approaches, small bunches of red fruit called ‘haws’ develop.

Have you ever heard the hawthorn being called the fairy tree?

In Irish myth, it was often associated with the fairies, and farmers used to avoid ploughing near hawthorns for fear of disturbing and upsetting the fairy folk.