Crataegus brachyacantha is one of the "black-fruited" species of hawthorn

Crataegus

Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...

, but it is only very distantly related to the other black-fruited species such as C. douglasii

Crataegus douglasii

Crataegus douglasii is a North American species of hawthorn known by the common names black hawthorn and Douglas' thornapple. It is named after David Douglas, who collected seed from the plant during his botanical explorations....

or C. nigra

Crataegus nigra

Crataegus nigra is a black-fruited species of hawthorn native to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania and Yugoslavia. The fruit, which is up to 10 mm across, can be consumed fresh or cooked....

. The common name "Blueberry haw" refers to the appearance of the fruit, which are almost blue, and not to their taste. The species is rarely cultivated but has ornamental leaves, flowers, and foliage.

External links

• Aggie-Horticulture pages from Texas A&M University have pictures of Crataegus brachyacantha here