| Author | Ashe | |
| Distribution | Found only in the Mountains, ranging south to the GA border. The SERNEC database contains specimen records for 9 counties; however, the range map in Lance (2014) and on the BONAP map indicate records only for the far southern Mountains -- Graham and Macon counties. As this is a Northern species, occurrences between the VA state line and Macon/Graham counties are certainly feasible, and thus the map below uses the SERNEC specimen data.
This species occurs mainly north of NC, ranging from NH, NY, and IL south to southwestern NC and probably eastern TN.
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| Abundance | Apparently rare to locally uncommon, but mainly in the central and southern Mountains. Seemingly very rare in the northern mountains, but easily overlooked as C. macrosperma or other species. The NCNHP has the species on its Watch List, with records known to them only from Macon and Graham counties. | |
| Habitat | Unlike most hawthorns, this species favors rich to mesic forested slopes and forest interiors, at least in NC. |
| Phenology | Blooms in April and May, and fruits in September and October. | |
| Identification | This is a small tree or large shrub, often to 15-18 feet tall. It has ovate to deltoid (almost triangular) leaves, with a somewhat hastate base that is entire. The outer margins are strongly serrated, often quite “toothy”, but usually without obvious lobes. Some young leaves may have deeply cut sinuses, however. References indicate that the leaves are quite similar to the much more widespread and common (in the NC mountains) C. macrosperma; however, the first species typically has larger flowers, 20 stamens, typically has glandular-serrate sepal margins, and larger fruit than does C. macrosperma. Field biologists will certainly need to collect twigs and key them out, especially twigs with flowers and/or fruit, to confirm the occurrence of this poorly known species in our mountains. There seems no logical reason why it should be somewhat disjunct from southwestern VA to Yancey and Buncombe counties. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | This taxon was described at the beginning of the 20th Century, as most hawthorns were. As with most hawthorns, it went overlooked or not picked up as a good species by most of the later 20th Century references. However, most current references do include it as a good species, with no varieties (thankfully).
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| Other Common Name(s) | Royal Hawthorn, Schuette Hawthorn. Note: The Michigan Attorney General, Bill Schuette, pronounces his name like “shooty”, based on YouTube videos. The first plant was collected by J.H. Schuette, in Green Bay, WI, and thus both Schuettes were from the Upper Midwest; hopefully they had the same pronunciation for their surnames! | |
| State Rank | S2? | |
| Global Rank | G5? | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
