Crataegus aestivalis

Crataegus aestivalis, known as the eastern mayhaw,[1] is a shrub or small tree of the southeastern United States that grows in low-lying or wet areas from eastern Alabama to central Florida and Virginia. It is one of several species of hawthorn with fruits known as "mayhaws", which are harvested for use in making mayhaw jelly, considered a delicacy in many areas of the South. Other species of mayhaws include Crataegus opaca, the western May Hawthorn, which is native from east Texas to Alabama.

Crataegus aestivalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Crataegus
Section: Crataegus sect. Coccineae
Series: Crataegus ser. Aestivales
Species:
C. aestivalis
Binomial name
Crataegus aestivalis
Synonyms[1]
  • C. cerasoides Sarg.
  • C. fruticosa Sarg.
  • C. luculenta Sarg.
  • C. maloides Sarg.
  • C. monantha Sarg.
  • Mespilus aestivalis Walter

The jelly is a rosy color, with a delicate flavor. It's sometimes commercially available at farm stands or specialty Southern food stores.

References
  1. Phipps, J.B. (2015), "Crataegus aestivalis" (Walter) Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 468. 1840", in L. Brouillet; K. Gandhi; C.L. Howard; H. Jeude; R.W. Kiger; J.B. Phipps; A.C. Pryor; H.H. Schmidt; J.L. Strother; J.L. Zarucchi (eds.), Flora of North America North of Mexico, Volume 9: Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae, New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  • Phipps, J.B.; O’Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. (2003). Hawthorns and medlars. Cambridge, U.K.: Royal Horticultural Society. ISBN 0881925918.

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