''Crataegus rhipidophylla'' is a species of

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

which occurs naturally from southern Scandinavia and the Baltic region to France, the Balkan Peninsula, Turkey, Caucasia, and Ukraine. It is poorly known as a landscape and garden plant, but seems to have potential for those uses. Compared to ''

Crataegus monogyna ''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. It is native to Europe, northwestern Africa, and West Asia, but has been introduced in ...

'', ''C. rhipidophylla'' has larger flowers, larger and more colourful fruits, and more decorative foliage. It has a more or less dome-shaped crown, and it is more tolerant of shade than ''C. monogyna''.Christensen, K. I. (2002). ''Dansk Dendrologisk Årsskrift'' 20: 13–18 (English summary).
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Description

''Crataegus rhipidophylla'' is a shrub or tree which can grow to tall. Its stout thorns can be up to 1.5 cm long. Leaf blades are dark green, with 2-4 pairs of acute or subacuminate lobes. A helpful characteristic trait for identification is the finely serrated lobe margin. This can help distinguish ''C. rhipidophylla'' from ''C. monogyna'' which has irregularly serrated lobe margins, with more or less coarse teeth. The basal lobes of flowering shoots leaf blades each have 6-25 teeth. Their

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s also are serrate or serrate-denticulate.

Inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s are corymbs, 3-4.5 cm long, of 5-15 lax white flowers. The

hypanthium In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...

is 3–5 mm long.

Sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s are more or less narrowly triangular, 1-2.6 times as long as wide. There are 14-20 stamens with purple anthers. Apart from the serrated leaf blade lobe margins, the number of styles or

pyrenes Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) consisting of four fused benzene rings, resulting in a flat aromatic system. The chemical formula is . This yellow solid is the smallest peri-fused PAH (one where the rings are fused through mor ...

is a second useful characteristic trait for identification. ''C. rhipidophylla'' has flowers with 1 style (fruit with 1 pyrene) - more rarely, and at the most, 2 styles or pyrenes. This is similar to ''C. monogyna'' but unlike ''C. laevigata'' which has 2 or 3 styles or pyrenes (sometimes 1, 4 or at most 5). Fruits are either bright or dark red, 8–15 mm long and 1.3-2 times as long as wide. Flowers are in bloom in May and June. Fruits can be seen from June to October

Taxonomy

The type specimen for ''Crataegus rhipidophylla'' is a

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

named by

Michel Gandoger Abbé Jean Michel Gandoger (10 May 1850 – 4 October 1926), was a French botanist and mycologist. He was born in Arnas, the son of a wealthy vineyard owner in the Beaujolais region. Although he took holy orders at the age of 26, he devoted his li ...

. It was collected in 1870 at la Come, in Liergues, Rhône, France. Despite not being one of the most common European hawthorn species, the type specimen for genus ''Crataegus'' L. is a ''C. rhipidophylla'' specimen (originally ''Crataegus oxyacantha'' L., '' nom. rejic.'')

Varieties and hybrids

There are currently three recognized varieties: * ''C. rhipidophylla'' Gand var. ''rhipidophylla'' * ''C. rhipidophylla'' var. ''lindmanii'' (Hrabetová) K.I.Chr * ''C. rhipidophylla'' var. ''kutahyaensis'' Dönmez ''C. rhipidophylla'' var. ''ronnigeri'' (K. Malý) Janjić has been suggested to be used as a valid name for ''C. rhipidophylla'' var. ''lindmanii''. Another synonym is ''Crataegus lindmanii'' Hrabětova ''C. rhipidophylla'' var. ''lindmanii'' can be recognized by its erect or suberect sepals crowning the fruit. The plant is parent to hybrids (''see table''). ''C.'' × ''macrocarpa'' (with '' C. laevigata'') and ''C.'' × ''subsphaericea'' (with '' C. monogyna'') are intermediates in terms of size and form between the parent species. ''C.'' × ''subsphaericea'' is found outside the range of its parents.

Distribution and habitat

''Crataegus rhipidophylla'' is a subatlantic species. It has a Eurasian native range, including southern Scandinavia and the Baltic region, France, the Balkan Peninsula, Asian Turkey, Caucasia, the Crimea, and Ukraine. It grows from sea level up to 1,800 m altitude. This species grows both on limestone and granitic or volcanic rocks. It is one of the few shade-tolerant hawthorn species, growing in shaded parts of continuous forests.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q159086 rhipidophylla Flora of Ukraine