Crataegus , (from the Greek
kratos strength and
akis sharp, referring to the thorns of some species) commonly called
hawthorn,
thornapple,
May-tree,
whitethorn, or
hawberry, is a large
genus of
shrubs and
trees in the
family Rosaceae,
native to
temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name "hawthorn" was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the
common hawthorn C. monogyna, and the unmodified name is often so used in Britain and Ireland. The name is now also applied to the entire genus and to the related Asian genus
Rhaphiolepis. The name
haw, originally an
Old English term for hedge, applies to the fruit.
