Flora-Fauna

Crataegus monogyna Jacq.

(First published in Fl. Austriac. 3: 50 (1775); Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2; 1969)

• Life-form & habit : Deciduous shrub or small tree, 2–8 m tall; crown dense, often rounded; branches spiny with sharp thorns; young twigs glabrous to slightly pubescent.

• Leaves : Alternate, deeply lobed, 2–6 cm long; lobes 3–7, acute; margins serrate; surfaces glabrous or slightly pubescent beneath; petiole short.

• Inflorescence & flowers : Corymbs terminal, many-flowered; flowers white, 1–1.5 cm across; petals 5; stamens numerous with pink to red anthers; ovary inferior, usually with a single style.

• Fruit : Pome (haw) ovoid to globose, red at maturity, 6–10 mm; containing a single seed (stone).

• Phenology : Flowers from April to May; fruiting from September to November.

• Habitat & elevation : Open woodlands, forest margins, hedgerows and rocky slopes; 500–2000 m.

• Lebanese distribution : Widespread in montane regions of Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon.

• Native range : Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon-Syria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom.

• Diagnostic remarks : Distinguished by its deeply lobed leaves and single-styled flowers producing one-seeded fruits; differs from related species such as C. azarolus by its smaller fruits and more deeply divided leaves.