Mayhaw is a native hawthorn, a deciduous shrub in the rose family and found in shallow ponds, wet woods and seasonal swamps along the coastal plains of the southeastern USA and the mountain ridges to the west. It is one of the many species of Hawthorn found throughout North Carolina. Mayhaw, like other Hawthorns, can be grown as a large shrub or trained into a small tree. It is slow-growing to 30 to 40 feet tall with a rounded crown. It has long, straight thorns, showy clusters of white flowers that occur in early spring and are followed by edible red fruits that ripen earlier than other hawthorns from June to July. Although it naturally grows in wet sites it is adaptable to the drier sites in the home landscape and is sometime grown as an ornamental. It prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade and is adaptable to soil types. Use as a specimen, hedge, screening or a small shade tree. Because it tolerates a wide variety of sites, this species can be used to stabilize banks and to give protection from erosion. This plants serves as a host plant for the larvae of the Gray hairstreak ( Strymon melinus ) , Red-spotted purple ( Limenitis arthemis astyanax ) , and the Viceroy ( Limenitis archippus ) butterflies. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Can be susceptible to rust. Mayhaw is the most disease resistant of the hawthorns. Twigs are thorny.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in. | Width: 35 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal; Rounded; Spreading; Vase
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Obovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Lobed; Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Two to four inch long dark green oval, wedge-shaped leaves are often three-lobed, notched on the edges, veined, and have red/brown undersides. Margins are toothed.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup
Flower detail
White 5-petaled flowers bloom from March to May either singularly or in clusters of 2-3. The fragrance can be pleasant to some, but unpleasant to others.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Half to one inch fruits are fleshy and ripen earlier than other hawthorns. Red fruit displays from June to July. Some have sweet edible flesh surrounding seeds.
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Bark is thin and grey. On old stems, it breaks up into thin, narrow scales. Crooked spiny branches.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern North America
Distribution
North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi
Wildlife value
This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval host plant for Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Red-spotted Purple and Viceroy rarely use this host plant in North Carolina. Deer will browse the stems.
Fruits used to make mayhaw jelly and pies or can be dried. Frequently used and much prized in parts of southern N. America where it is often gathered in quantity from the wild. Its acid flavor adds to preserves and jellies
Uses (ethnobotany)
The plant has little commercial value, but is sometimes used in herbal medicine. Wood is strong, tough, and hard, but rarely used.