Plant Details

Crataegus ellwangeriana (C. coccinea)

Scarlet Hawthorn

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Explore the size, hardiness, soil, light, edible uses and harvest period of Crataegus ellwangeriana (C. coccinea).

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Common names

3 names · 3 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Scarlet Hawthorn
Other languages (2)
Dutch
  • Scarlet meidoorn
French
  • Aubépine écarlate
Sources & name notes

Names recorded in our plant catalogue, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

General information

Scientific name: Crataegus ellwangeriana (C. coccinea)
Botanical family: Rosaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Crataegus (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Scarlet Hawthorn

Plant characteristics

Layer: Fruit tree, Shrub
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 6.00 m
Spread: 6.00 m
Growth rate: Moderate
Foliage: Deciduous

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 5-7
Soil moisture:
Moist, Wet
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Partial shade, Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Fruit
Edibility rating:
(5)
Medicinal rating:
(2)
Functions:
Fragrant

Description

Fruit - edible raw or cooked, juicy and sour in taste. It is an excellent dessert fruit with a sweet-sour flavor, juicy but with a slightly mealy texture, making it very pleasant to eat. Besides consuming it fresh, the fruit can be used to make pies, jam, and can be dried for later consumption. The fruit is on average about 15 mm in diameter, but samples from Kew may have fruits up to 25 mm in diameter. In the center of the fruit, there can be up to five fairly large seeds, which often stay together. This makes it seem like you are eating a cherry-like fruit with a single seed.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 15/09
Harvest ends: 31/10

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical family
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 840805; name ID 2944742; Crataegus L.. Family column.

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.