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Crataegus triflora Chapman
Three-flower Hawthorn
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: Threatened
Global Rank: G2G3
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Highest Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 20
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Hardwood forests on rocky, limestone slopes
Shrub up to 20 feet (6 meters) tall, usually 3 - 6 feet (1 - 2 meters), with one to several trunks, scaly bark (on older trunks), hairy twigs, and thorns up to 2 inches (5 cm) long, often 3-pronged. Leaves are up to 2.8 inches (2 - 7 cm) long and 2.4 inches (6 cm) wide, oval, with toothed margins, each tooth tipped with a tiny gland; both leaf surfaces are usually velvety-hairy; the leaf stalks have gland-tipped hairs. Flowers are about 1 inch (2.5 - 3 cm) wide, with 5 white, rounded petals; 20 - 40 yellow stamens; and 5 toothed, gland-tipped sepals; flower stalks are covered with gland-tipped hairs and are winged for ¾ of their length; the flowers are usually in clusters of 3, but may be as many as 7 per cluster; when there are three flowers, the middle one opens first. Fruits are about 0.5 inch (1.2 - 1.5 cm) wide, round, red, with 5 seeds per fruit; the flesh is orange and succulent when fully ripened.
Several other hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) grow in similar habitats; Three-flowered Hawthorn is distinguished by its usually 3-flowered clusters, flowers with more than 20 stamens, glandular-hairy leaf stalks, and hairy, gland-toothed leaves with few or no lobes.
There are 8 rare species of Crataegus in Georgia:
Crataegus aemula (Rome Hawthorn) occurs in upland hardwood and pine-hardwood forests over sandstone, limestone, or circumneutral clay soils in northwest Georgia. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=20903
Crataegus aprica (Sunny Hawthorn) occurs in open,sandy, rocky dry sites in lower elevation mountains and perhaps Piedmont. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_aprica
Crataegus brachyacantha (Blueberry Hawthorn) occurs in open pinelands in southwest Georgia. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_brachyacantha
Crataegus calpodendron (Pear Hawthorn) occurs in moist, calcareous forests in northwest Georgia, the Piedmont, and upper Coastal Plain. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_calpodendron
Crataegus dispar (Aiken Hawthorn) occurs in dry, upland pine or pine-oak forests in well drained
clay or sandy soils in the upper Coastal Plain. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_dispar
Crataegus mendosa (Albertville Hawthorne) occurs in rocky woods, glades, hardwood forests, mixed pine-hardwood forests, and upland wooded hills over calcareous substrates and well-drained clays in Georgia's Piedmont and Coastal Plain. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_mendosa
Crataegus mollis (Downy Hawthorn) occurs in moist forests, alluvial forests, wooded uplands over basic or calcareous soils in Georgia's Piedmont and northwestern counties. For more information, see: http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_mollis
Crataegus triflora (Three-flower Hawthorn) occurs in hardwood forests on rocky, limestone slopes in northwest Georgia and in Black Belt prairies in the upper Coastal Plain. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=21985
Moist, wooded ravines and slopes over limestone or mafic rock in northwest Georgia; Black Belt prairies with basic soils in the inner Coastal Plain.
Hawthorns reproduce sexually, attracting pollinators such as bees and beetles by their showy flowers and nectar. Fruits are eaten by birds, who disperse the seeds; seed germination is improved if the seed passes through a bird’s digestive tract and if the seed has been through one cold winter. Plants will flower at four years, when they are about 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Three-flowered Hawthorn is known to hybridize with Crataegus ashei and other hawthorns.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (April–May), when leaves are about ½ - ¾ expanded.
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and possibly Tennessee.
Logging, development, and other clearing. Infection by Cedar-Apple rust.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Energy production & mining | Transportation & service corridors | Biological resource use |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Crataegus triflora is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in Georgia. It is listed as Endangered by the State of Georgia. Fifteen populations are known, only 5 on conservation land.
Avoid clearcutting and other mechanical disturbances. Remove nearby Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) trees that host Cedar-Apple rust, a fungal blight that attacks hawthorns.
Allison, J.R. 1999. Status survey for Crataegus triflora and Viburnum bracteatum in Georgia. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
GADNR. 2020. Element occurrence records for Crataegus triflora. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Lance, R. 2014. Haws: a guide to the hawthorns of the southeastern United States. Published by the author, Mills River, North Carolina.
Lance, R. 2004. Woody plants of the southeastern United States: a winter guide. University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Lance, R. 2006. The hawthorns of Georgia. Tipularia 21: 15-39.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. 2007. Crataegus triflora species account. http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/fact_sheet_plant/31969-Crataegus%20triflora/crataegus_triflora.pdf
NatureServe. 2019. Crataegus triflora comprehensive report. NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135466/Crataegus_triflora
Phipps, J.B. 2015. Crataegus triflora species account. Flora of North America, Vol. 9. http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Crataegus_triflora
Phipps, J.B., R. Lance, and K.A. Dvorsky. 2006. Crataegus series Bracteatae and Triflorae (Rosaceae). Sida 22(2): 1009-1025. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41969073?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
L. Chafin, Aug. 2007: original account
K. Owers, Jan. 2010: updated status and ranks, added pictures
G. Krakow. Apr. 2015: updated link to Louisiana DWF species account
L. Chafin, Feb 2020: updated original account.
