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|image_caption=Common Hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna'')
|image_caption=Common Hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna'')
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'''''Crataegus''''', ({{pron-en|krəˈtiːɡəs}}),<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> commonly called '''hawthorn''' or '''thornapple''',<ref>Voss, E.G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornaceae)''. Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.</ref> is a large genus of [[shrub]]s and [[tree]]s in the [[rose]] family, [[Rosaceae]], native to temperate regions of the [[Northern Hemisphere]] in [[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[North America]]. The White hawthorn (''C. punctata'') is the state flower of [[Missouri]].<ref>[http://www.50states.com/flower/missouri.htm 50states.com Missouri State Flower]</ref> The name ''hawthorn'' was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe, especially the [[Common Hawthorn]] ''C. monogyna'', and the unmodified name is often so used in [[Great Britain|Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. However the name is now also applied to the entire genus, and also to the related Asian genus ''[[Rhaphiolepis]]''.
They are [[shrub]]s or small [[tree]]s, mostly growing to 5–15 m tall,<ref name=Phipps>Phipps, J.B., O’Kennon, R.J., Lance, R.W. (2003). ''Hawthorns and medlars''. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, U.K.</ref> with small [[pome]] [[fruit]] and (usually) thorny branches. The most common type of bark is smooth grey in young individuals, developing shallow longitudinal fissures with narrow ridges in older trees. The thorns are small sharp-tipped branches that arise either from other branches or from the trunk, and are typically 1–3 cm long (recorded as up to 11.5 cm in one case<ref name=Phipps/><sup>page 97</sup>). The leaves grow spirally arranged on long shoots, and in clusters on spur shoots on the branches or twigs. The leaves of most species have lobed or serrate margins and are somewhat variable in shape. The fruit, sometimes known as a "haw", is [[berry]]-like, but structurally a [[pome]] containing from 1 to 5 [[pyrena|pyrene]]s that resemble the "stones" of [[plum]]s, [[peach]]es, etc. which are [[drupe|drupaceous]] fruit in the same [[family (biology)|subfamily]].
Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of [[bird]]s and [[mammal]]s, and the [[flower]]s are important for many nectar-feeding [[insect]]s. Hawthorns are also used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of a [[large number]] of [[Lepidoptera]] species; see [[List of Lepidoptera that feed on hawthorns]]. Haws are important for [[wildlife]] in winter, particularly [[thrush (bird)|thrushes]] and [[waxwing]]s; these birds eat the haws and disperse the [[seed]]s in their droppings.
Many species and hybrids are used as [[ornamental plant|ornamental]] and street trees. The Common Hawthorn is extensively used in Europe as a [[hedge (barrier)|hedge]] plant. Several [[cultivar]]s of the Midland Hawthorn ''C. laevigata'' have been selected for their pink or red flowers. Hawthorns are among the trees most recommended for water conservation landscapes.{{Citation needed|reason=in what part of the world? Not in dry parts of the US, where they grow only near water|date=May 2009}}
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