Dotted Hawthorn
Crataegus punctata ‘Ohio Pioneer’
Pioneers, O(hio) Pioneers! Walt Whitman would have loved this native hawthorn famed for its showy white flowers with white or red anthers. While the stem is usually covered in spines, the ‘Ohio Pioneer’ variety, discovered in Ohio in the 1960s, is spineless. Flowers give way to small bright red fruits highlighted with white dots (hence the species name, punctata). A perfect larger shrub or small tree for the home garden.
Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, dry or moist soils
Size: 20′ – 30′ tall, 20′ – 30′ spread
Zone: 4 – 7
Wildlife Value: Fruits provide excellent late season food source for birds; flowers attract small native pollinators; larval host for variety of butterfly and moth species, including Mourning Cloak
