Crataegus douglasii

Black hawthorn

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Black hawthorn is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada High Sierra, and northern California regions along streamsides in meadows, scrub, and forest at elevations of 600 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white flowers approximately 12 to 15 millimeters in diameter with pink anthers. Growing with distinctive thorns 15 to 18 millimeters long, the shrub develops an erect and branching form. Its leaves are elliptic-diamond-shaped to narrow-obovate, typically 3.5 to 6 centimeters long with shallow lobes and a wedge-shaped base. The fruit is a deep purple to black spherical drupe 10 to 12 millimeters in diameter, containing 3 to 4 stones.

Habitat: Streamsides in meadows, scrub, forest

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 600-2450 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, n SNH

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.