Washington thorn, Crataegus phaenopyrum

Washington thorn is one of our more distinctive hawthorns. Generally speaking, hawthorns are a mess. Identifying species can be more a game than a science. Variation is the norm, and hybrids abound. So Washington torn is a bit of a treat to those of us that like to solve the puzzles. The leaves are lobed and the veins go to some of the sinuses as well as to the lobe tips. That feature and the absence of bracts in the flower clusters helps pin this one down. Washington thorn is perhaps the most frequently planted of the hawthorns. Washington is wild in AR, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, WA, WV, and ON. It is native roughly from MO to MD and southward. Other locatons are introduced. Lenawee Co MI, 6/10/15. Rose family, Rosaceae.