Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus mollis
Downy hawthorn is the largest of the Midwestern hawthorns, with soft fuzzy leaves, broad clusters of white bloom, and unusually large red fruit relished by wildlife.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 20–40 ft
- Spacing
- 20–35 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- acidic, alkaline, neutral
- Bloom
- May, June
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, hummingbirds, mammals, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~168 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, ND, NE, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WI
Related native plants
More Crataegus species
- Parsley Hawthorn (Crataegus marshallii)
- Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)
- Littlehip Hawthorn (Crataegus spathulata)
- Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli)
- Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis)
- Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)