Parsley haw

Mespilus apiifolia Marshall, Arbust. Amer., 89. 1785, not Crataegus apiifolia Medikus 1793

Shrubs or trees, 20–80 dm. Stems 1-trunked; 1-year old twigs dark purple-brown, older dark, dull gray; thorns on twigs straight or slightly recurved, 1.5–3 cm, 3-years old dark and shiny, slender, 2–3 cm. Leaves: petiole long, pubescent; blade broadly ovate to deltate, 1.5–3 cm, base broadly cuneate to ± truncate, lobes 3 per side, narrow, margins serrate, particularly toward lobe apices, veins 7 or 8 per side (including those to sinuses), apex acute, surfaces hairy, especially along veins abaxially. Inflorescences 4–10-flowered; branches densely pubescent; bracteole margins short-stipitate-glandular. Flowers 12–17 mm diam.; hypanthium hairy; sepals narrowly triangular, margins slightly incised; stamens 20, anthers deep rose to red; styles 1 or 2(or 3). 2n = 34, 51.

Flowering Mar–Apr; fruiting Sep–Nov. Alluvial and other woodlands, light shade, open areas, calcareous or mafic rock, uplands; 10–500 m; Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ky., La., Miss., Mo., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va.

Crataegus marshallii is common in the southeastern United States; reports from Kansas are unconfirmed. The exfoliating bark is an attractive ornamental characteristic.

Crataegus apiifolia (Marshall) Michaux is an illegitimate name.