Hillside hawthorn
StarCrataegus punctata
Synonyms: Crataegus flava, Mespilus caroliniana, Crataegus punctata var. canescens, Crataegus punctata f. canescens, Crataegus succincta, Crataegus tomentosa var. punctata, Crataegus punctata subsp. decipiens, Halmia cornifolia, Crataegus punctata f. intermedia, Crataegus moselemensis var. corrugata, Mespilus cornifolia, Crataegus crocata, Crataegus pratensis, Crataegus tomentosa var. chapmanii, Mespilus chapmanii, Crataegus fastosa, Crataegus obovatifolia, Halmia punctata, Crataegus punctata f. aurea, Oxyacantha punctata, Crataegus punctata var. xanthocarpa, Crataegus punctata var. rubra, Crataegus tomentosa plicata, Crataegus secta, Halmia punctata trewiana, Halmia punctata xanthocarpa, Crataegus moselemensis, Crataegus punctata var. aurea, Mespilus trewiana, Crataegus punctata var. microphylla, Crataegus punctata var. mutabilis, Crataegus pyrifolia, Mespilus flexuosa, Crataegus collina var. secta, Crataegus collina var. succincta, Mespilus punctata, Phaenopyrum trewianum, Crataegus cuneifolia, Mespilus cuneifolia
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
The Iroquois employed Crataegus punctata in several remedies: an infusion of the small leafless branches, combined with other plants, was taken for complaints described as 'large stomachs' (Rousseau, 1945), and a compound decoction of shoots and bark was used to slow excessive menstrual flow (Herrick, 1977). The same source also records the use of a decoction to ward off 'breaking out like cancer' attributed to witchcraft (Herrick, 1977).
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Botanical Description
Crataegus punctata, the dotted or hillside hawthorn, is a small deciduous tree in the Rosaceae family native to woodland edges, thickets, and old fields of eastern and central North America. The tree typically grows five to ten metres tall with horizontally spreading branches that form a broad, somewhat flat-topped crown, and stout straight thorns three to seven centimetres long along the twigs. The alternate leaves are obovate, four to seven centimetres long, with shallowly toothed or slightly lobed margins and a distinct wedge-shaped base, dark green above and paler with prominent veins beneath. In late spring the tree produces flat-topped corymbs of white five-petalled flowers about two centimetres across, followed in autumn by dull red or yellowish pomes one to two centimetres in diameter, conspicuously dotted with paler lenticels.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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