Mayhaw
Crataegus opaca
Mayhaw is the beloved Southern wetland hawthorn whose bright red spring fruit makes the prized mayhaw jelly. A small bottomland tree that flowers very early and tolerates wet ground.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 10–40 ft
- Spacing
- 35–40 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- wet
- Soil pH
- acidic, alkaline, neutral
- Bloom
- February, March
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, pollinators, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~168 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, TX
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)