HAWTHORN

1st May 2024

Quotation

What made me love thee? Let that persuade thee.

There’s something extraordinary in thee.

Come, I cannot cog and say thou art this and that

like a many of these lisping hawthorn buds that come like women

In men’s apparel and smell like Bucklersbury in simple time.

I cannot. But I love thee, none but thee; and thou deserv’st it.

FALSTAFF: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 3, Scene 3

HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna)

Falstaff finds another way to incorporate the natural world in his range of insults, claiming that he is not an effeminate charmer that some others. May is the month of Hawthorn buds and blossoms and the shrub is also know as May Blossom, May Flower, and May Shrub and Whitethorn or Quickthorn. Hawthorn blossoms are white and highly scented and produce the red haws berries in the winter.

John Gerard (1597) reports the tradition of the Glastonbury Thorn which was supposed to flower at Christmas time “by the report of divers of good credit, who have seen the same: but my self have not seen it, and therefore leave it to be better examined.” There is still a twice flowering Hawthorn at Glastonbury, the Holy Thorn, which is believed to have been sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, and has survived many tribulations including being cut down by Puritans in the Civil War. A sprig of Christmas blossom is still sent to the monarch.

Hawthorn has a rich heritage in many cultures and is associated with May Day festivals and fertility. Hawthorn flowers and buds can be eaten in salads. The haw berries are edible but can cause stomach upsets. They are sometimes made into jellies and jams. Hawthorn has extremely sharp thorns which make it good for hedging to keep animals or people in or out of particular areas. Hawthorn thorns have also been used as needles. Hawthorns are important host species for many insects and birds.

There are 2 native species of Hawthorn in the UK, the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and the Midland Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) as well as several introduced species. Hawthorns are part of the Rose Family (ROSACEAE) along with many fruit trees such as Apples, Pears and Plums.

More Information

BSBI Plant Atlas 2020: Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata

Folger Shakespeare: Search Shakespeare’s Work

Gerard, J. 1597 The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes (1636 edition accessed via archive.org)

Glastonbury Abbey: Myths and Legends

Woodland Trust: Hawthorn