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- Crataegus pisifera
Crataegus pisifera — pea hawthorn
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Facts
Crataegus pisifera is a very rare species in New England, known only from historical collections in western Vermont. It is related to Crataegus succulenta (another rare species in the region).
Habitat
Anthropogenic (human-disturbed or -maintained habitats), forest edges, forests, meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Vermont
- Growth form
- 
                                
                                    - the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- the plant is a tree
 
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 8–74 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Twig winter color
- 
                                
                                    - brown
- red
 
- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
- 
                        Buds or leaf scars- Bud scale number
- there are three or more scales on the winter bud, and they overlap like shingles, with one edge covered and the other edge exposed
 - Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
 - Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
 - Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
 
- 
                        Flowers- Anther color
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
 - Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
 - Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
 - Flower petal color
- white
 - Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
 - Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
 - Hypanthium present
- the flower has a hypanthium
 - Inflorescence hairs
- 
                                
                                    - there are hairs on some part of the inflorescence
- there are no hairs on the inflorescence
 
 - Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a corymb (with long lower branches and shorter upper branches, giving it a more or less flat-topped look)
 - Number of pistils
- 1
 - Ovary position
- 
                                
                                    - the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
 
 - Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
 - Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
 - Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
 - Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
 - Sepal tip glands
- there are glands at the tips of the sepal lobes
 - Stamen number
- 
                                
                                    - 12
- 13 or more
 
 - Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
 
- 
                        Fruits or seeds- Berry color
- red
 - Fruit tissue origin
- the hypanthium of the flower becomes part of the fruit
 - Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
 - Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
 - Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
 - Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
 
- 
                        Glands or sap- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
 - Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
 
- 
                        Growth form- Growth form
- 
                                
                                    - the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
- the plant is a tree
 
 
- 
                        Leaves- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
 - Leaf blade base shape
- 
                                
                                    - the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
 
 - Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
 - Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
 - Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
 - Leaf blade hairs
- NA
 - Leaf blade length
- 8–74 mm
 - Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
 - Leaf blade shape
- 
                                
                                    - the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is rhombic (roughly diamond-shaped)
 
 - Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
 - Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
 - Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
 - Leaf form
- the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
 - Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
 - Leaf midrib glands
- the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
 - Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
 - Leaf stalk nectaries
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
 - Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
 - Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
 - Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
 - Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
 - Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
 - Stipules
- the plant has stipules
 
- 
                        Place- Habitat
- terrestrial
 - New England state
- Vermont
 - Specific habitat
- 
                                
                                    - edges of forests
- forests
- human-disturbed or -maintained habitats
- meadows or fields
 
 
- 
                        Scent- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor
 
- 
                        Stem, shoot, branch- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
 - Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
 - Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
 - First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
 - Pith shape
- the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
 - Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
 - Twig winter color
- 
                                
                                    - brown
- red
 
 - Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
 - armature on plant
- the plant has spines, prickles, or thorns
 
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Vermont
- historical (S-rank: SH)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
36. Crataegus pisifera Sarg. NC
pea hawthorn. Crataegus succulenta Schrad. ex Link var. pisifera (Sarg.) Kruschke • VT. Forest edges, successional fields, roadsides, early successional forests.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Crataegus succulenta:
- inflorescence usually moderately pubescent, pyrenes with deep excavations on the inner surfaces, and flowers 15-20.5 mm wide (vs. C. pisifera, with the inflorescence glabrous or sparsely pubescent, pyrenes plane to weakly and irregularly eroded on the inner surfaces, and flowers 13-15 mm wide).
Synonyms
- Crataegus succulenta Schrad. ex Link var. pisifera (Sarg.) Kruschke
![Leaves: Crataegus pisifera. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2025 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-239x239/Rosaceae/crataegus-pisifera-le-ahaines-e.jpg) 
                        ![Leaves: Crataegus pisifera. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2025 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-239x239/Rosaceae/crataegus-pisifera-le-ahaines-c.jpg) 
                        ![Fruits: Crataegus pisifera. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2025 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-239x239/Rosaceae/crataegus-pisifera-fr-ahaines-b.jpg) 
                        ![Fruits: Crataegus pisifera. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2025 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-239x239/Rosaceae/crataegus-pisifera-fr-ahaines-f.jpg) 
                        ![Flowers: Crataegus pisifera. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2025 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-239x239/Rosaceae/crataegus-pisifera-fl-ahaines-d.jpg) 
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