Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Crataegus douglasii is a species of hawthorn known by the common names black hawthorn and Douglas' thornapple. It is named after David Douglas, who collected seed from the plant during his botanical explorations. This thorny shrub is native to northern and western North America, where it grows in varied habitats from forest to scrubland. It is most abundant in the Pacific Northwest. This is a compact erect bushy shrub covered in fan-shaped green leaves with teeth along the distal margin. Thorns along the branches are one to two centimeters long. White flowers with greenish centers grow in bunches at the ends of each thin branch. The fruit is a very dark purple pome up to about a centimeter across. The fruits were a good food source for Native American peoples such as the Cheyenne and Nlaka'pamux.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

15 ft Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Calscape icon
Color

White, Green

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Moderate

Ease of care

Moderate

Soil drainage

Slow, Medium

Soil description

Prefers deep, moist, fine-textured soil.

Propagation

For propagating by seed: Scarify or soak in concentrated H 2S04 for 2-3 hrs., and stratif y 3-4 mos. For fresh dried fruit, soak in water 2-3 days to sof ten, remove pulp and sow immediately; this has given fair germination (Heit 1971).

Sunset Zones

1, 2*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Site type

Streamsides, meadows, grassy places,

Plant communities

Foothill Woodland, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Northern Oak Woodland, Red Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Bats
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 36 likely

Confirmed Likely

Placid Dart

Abagrotis placida

Fingered Dagger Moth

Acronicta dactylina

Funerary Dagger Moth

Acronicta funeralis