Parsley hawthorn, is a small tree or shrub in the Rosaceae (rose) family native to North Carolina. The decorative, finely-dissected leaves along with the dainty flowers, small red fruit, and beautiful bark all work together to make this one of the most ornamental of the hawthorns. The thorns can be a problem with children, but also provides protective nesting cover for songbirds. The tree grows to about 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide and can be found in moist areas of the Piedmont and coastal planes. It sometimes grows as a multitrunked shrub. Plant in moist clay or sandy loams in full to partial sun. It is adaptable to garden soils. Use this tree in moist well-drained areas around ponds, streams, bogs, or woodland sites. This plant is categorized as Facultative (FAC) to Facultative wetland (FACW). Use the plant along ponds, bogs or streams. It can be used in pollinator, water or rain gardens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
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.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
The 1 inch ovate leaves have 5 to 7 short pointed lobes and serrated (or toothed) edges. They are shiny green on the upper surface and paler on the undersides. Spirally arranged on long shoots.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
One inch white flowers with red anthers appear in clusters from April to May.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/3 inch red pome with 1-5 pyrenes that resemble the “stones” in related plums, peaches, etc. Sometimes called the ‘haw’. Fruit displays from September to October.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
Thin and gray, becomes exfoliating with narrow scales with age.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Smooth, thin, thorny stems are gray with mottles of brown,
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America, NC
Distribution
AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA
Wildlife value
Important nectar flower for insects; food plant of many moths including the eggar moth; haws provide winter fruit for songbirds. 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. Good nesting habitat with thorns providing protection from predators.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
The leaves, berries, and flowers are used in medicines and herbals for cardiovascular health. The wood is strong, heavy, and hard, but has little commercial value.