Winter King Hawthorn

(Rosaceae - Rose Family)

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• Form
  • small ornamental tree
  • maturing at 15' tall by 20' wide
  • upright vased growth habit in youth, becoming spreading vased to horizontal spreading at maturity
  • medium growth rate

• Culture
  • full sun to partial sun
  • prefers moist, well-drained soils in full sun, but is tolerant of poor soils, various soil pHs, soil compaction, drought, and heat
  • propagated primarily by cuttings grafted onto the species seedling rootstock of Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis) or Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)
  • Rose Family, with several minor diseases and pests, but not as numerous nor severe as in other Hawthorns (rust is usually minor and infrequent, if present at all, on the immature fruits)
  • abundantly available, primarily in ball and burlap form but increasingly in container form
  • this Hawthorn is the easiest to remove crossing branches from due to its open growth habit and its relative absence of thorns
  • Winter King Hawthorn is somewhat sensitive to being transplanted in Autumn, and care should be taken to amend the soil, fertilize, water thoroughly, mulch adequately, and avoid Winter salt spray, to enhance survival chances during the first Winter

• Foliage
  • dull-shiny, dark green to gray-green on the upper leaf surface, to 2" long, alternate, with doubly serrated and incised leaf margins, and leathery to the touch by mid-Summer (almost looks and feels artificial)
  • variable in shape from broadly ovate with two, three, or five lobes, to ovate with no lobes
  • fall color is usually chartreuse, but in good years is golden-yellow to yellow-brown in October and November

• Flowers
  • white 2"-wide inflorescences cover the tree in early- to mid-May, effective for two weeks and slightly malodorous

• Fruits
  • 3/8" diameter light green fruits are in clusters, turning to orange by October and then to bright orange-red in November, and often persisting into early February or later before they turn brown-black
  • tight clusters of bright red fruits (not as pendulous as fruits of Washington Hawthorn [Crataegus phaenopyrum[) on the spur shoots that branch from the stiff silver-gray branches make this one of the most attractive early Winter ornamental trees, easily noticed from a long distance
  • fruits are eaten by birds and squirrels, usually in late Winter

• Twigs
  • stems and branches are an attractive silvery-gray (except on the first-year-wood stems, which are brown-red)
  • since the branches emerge at a wide vased angle from the trunk, the sun easily reflects off of them in the Winter, creating a silvery-white semi-background that contrasts well with the persistent red berries
  • buds are small, and the few thorns on this cultivar are primarily located in the interior, lower canopy of young trees
  • much of the foliage and all of the flowers and fruits arise from spur shoots along the branches of the tree

• Trunk
  • old branches and young trunks are silvery-gray with green patches, with a noticeable greenish cast when wet
  • brown-gray exterior bark exfoliates in thin flakes with maturity to reveal a light orange interior bark

• ID Summary
  • doubly serrated and incised leaves are variable in their number of lobes, from a simple ovate leaf to one that has five lobes, arranged in alternate fashion along the first-year twigs that turn brown-red in Winter, which transition to silvery branches by the second Winter, and also have spur shoots that bear the white inflorescences and red-orange fruits
  • growth habit is broadly vased, with a single trunk that exfoliates in large flakes with age, exposing a light orange interior bark that complements the light gray external bark
  • thorns are few and primarily a juvenile trait, occuring on the lower interior canopy of young trees

• Function
  • specimen, focal point, foundation, entranceway, group planting, raised planter, or border tree

• Texture
  • medium texture in foliage and when bare
  • open density in foliage and when bare

• Assets
  • multi-season ornamental tree
  • showy white inflorescences in mid-Spring
  • red-orange fruits occur in abundance in Autumn and early Winter
  • widely vased branching (with silvery branches and ornamental bark on the trunk) that is very appealing, becoming spreading and nearly horizontal with age
  • relatively disease- and pest-free, with few thorns (noteworthy for a Hawthorn)
  • urban tolerant
  • wildlife attraction

• Liabilities
  • slightly malodorous inflorescences in mid-Spring
  • low, wide branching at eye-level (with a few thorns) can be a problem if improperly sited near pedestrian high-traffic areas
  • a few suckers occasionally arise below the graft union and need to be pruned away, especially if the rootstock is from Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)

• Habitat
  • zones 5 to 7
  • native to the Southern and Midwestern United States

• Alternates
  • small multi-season ornamental trees with good flower, fruit, bark, branch, and/or growth habit features (Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance', Cornus kousa chinensis 'Milky Way', Malus 'Sugar Tyme', Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk', etc.)

• Variants
  • Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' - virtually the only commercial form available for this species, selected for near-thornlessness, orange-gray trunk and silvery-gray branches, vased growth habit, and Winter-persistent red-orange fruits that are larger than the species form; the species form (Green Hawthorn) has a more upright oval habit, numerous thorns, fewer flowers and fruits, and a more greenish, exfoliating bark

• Translation
  • Crataegus translates as "strength", referring to its wood strength.
  • viridis translates as "green", indicative of the greenish bark of the species form.

• Purpose
  • Winter King Hawthorn is a four-season small ornamental tree that has outstanding Winter branching and fruiting character, and also serves as an excellent year-round vase-shaped focal point in the landscape.

• Summary
  • Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' is a small tree noted for its vase-shaped growth habit, and also for its showy inflorescences, fruits, branches, and bark.