Unusual plants in the UK — Hawthorn

How a painful first meeting with a hawthorn tree helped me better understand and appreciate nature. Find out about hawthorn trees, their mythology, and uses.

I was maybe nine or ten years old when I had my first (painful) brush with hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), but also my first experience of just how beautiful this plant could be. Having moved down to Cornwall from suburban Hampshire, I was devouring all the nature I could and jumping headfirst into whatever green I could get my hands on. Often literally, which is where I became physically aware of the hawthorn plant and the inch-long spikes protecting its twisting branches.

Attracted by the bees and pollinators swarming around the hawthorn blossom, I leaned further in trying to get a closer look when SNAP, the thin branch of a hornbeam tree I was using as leverage, broke off. I fell into the hawthorn bush and all its natural defences, covering my hands and arms in deep scratches and in some places, having the spikes burrow into my skin.

Cue my mum spending the next hour tending to my wounds and me realising that in the countryside, the plants bite back.

Still, this didn’t stop me going back to watch the hundreds of insects, all clamouring for a portion of the sweet essence offered up by the contradictory hawthorn — a plant both prickly, repelling humans and other larger animals, and inviting, providing an essential refuge for birds and a banquet for bees.

Truly, hawthorn is an iconic feature of the Cornish hedgerows I fell in love with and this is why I’m writing about it today.

What does hawthorn look like?

Hawthorn is a deciduous (meaning it loses its leaves in the colder months) tree characterised by pale, jagged leaves, perfumed flowers in the late spring, red fruit in the summer and of course, the spikes on its branches that grow an inch or more long.

Photo by Dieter K on Unsplash

Hawthorn is best known as an anchoring plant for hedgerows, but you’ll see it standing proud as a solitary tree in the wild too. It’s perhaps best known as a symbol for Spring turning into Summer, thanks to the blossoms appearing just before we welcome in the warmer months.

For this reason, hawthorn is sometimes called the May Tree, which in turn, has earnt it an association with fertility in druidic mythology.

Hawthorn mythology

All over northern Europe, hawthorn has a deeper meaning as a symbol of new life, but I won’t break down every culture’s relationship with this enigmatic tree. Instead, I’ll focus on Cornwall and how the hawthorn has remained an important cultural symbol for thousands of years.

The hawthorn tree is the source of garlands used in May Day, an ancient European festival dating back well before Christianity was even a concept. This folk festival celebrates the beginning of Summer and the hawthorn tree’s habit of blooming around this time made it the perfect plant to celebrate with. Its blossoms became the crown for the Fairy Queen, and the leaves the wreath for the Green Man.

It’s believed too that the tree itself is the spiritual ancestor of the Maypole, around which the May Day dances happen.

As a kid growing up in Cornwall, the May Day celebrations were usually an excuse to gather with friends and have a giggle at the adults playing dress-up. It all seemed a bit silly then, but looking back I realise how important keeping these traditions alive were, and still are.

Photo by Ottr Dan on Unsplash

May Day is a true link back to a time where we saw ourselves more as a part of nature, which in today’s reality of wildlife depletion and climate change is becoming more essential. We might look at those painting their faces green, dancing with bells on their ankles, and weaving twigs through their hair as quaint relics of the past, but are they really? Personally, I’d rather festivals focused on the beauty of nature continue long into the future, rather than those regularly leaving wastelands of discarded tents and litter behind.

Uses for hawthorn

Hawthorn is a truly versatile plant with heaps of fascinating ways to use almost all parts of it. Let’s start with uses for the berries that appear in Autumn (typically throughout September and October):

Hawthorn berries have anti-inflammatory properties

Several studies (including this one) point to the anti-inflammatory qualities of hawthorn berries. Though there isn’t yet enough data to say it’s benefit humans unequivocally, it’s certainly interesting!

The berries are packed full of antioxidants

Hawthorn berries are absolutely packed with beneficial polyphenols, which are plant compounds that help neutralise so-called free radicals in your body (these are unstable molecules that can damage your body if they build up too much).

Polyphenols are also present in red wine, as is so often pointed out. While the polyphenol content in a class of wine can be as high as 200mg per glass, it’s actually less per gram than as found in hawthorn berries. What’s also interesting is how simply drinking a glass of grape juice or even alcohol-free wine can actually be better than drinking an alcoholic glass of red wine. So the next time you hear someone saying they’re drinking red wine because it’s good for them, remind them they can they same (or more) benefit without the alcohol!

They could lower blood pressure

We’re just starting to catch up on what’s been self evident in Chinese medicine for centuries — hawthorn berries can help lower blood pressure. Other studies show that the berries can help reduce blood pressure readings in people with higher-than-average blood pressure.

And they make great jam!

You can make lovely preserves with hawthorn berries, which are not only delicious, but pack in medicinal qualities too. Here’s the best recipe I found online for hawthorn berry jam. If I find myself in Cornwall come Autumn time, I can guarantee I’ll be making this to spread on some toast!

The berries are generally best left for making jams, ketchups, etc., as if eaten raw, it won’t poison you, but you might have an upset stomach.

Use the leaves in a salad

And not just the leaves, but the flower buds and young flowers too. Mix them with some grated carrots or ginger, or other root vegetable for a wonderful salad in the late spring / early summer.

Finally, the thorns are great for cleaning Anglo Saxon artefacts

This is one is easily the most niche use for hawthorns, but an interesting one. When they uncovered the incredible treasures at Sutton Hoo, many of the artefacts were caked in centuries’ worth of dirt. Rather than using more modern cleaning methods, it’s said they used hawthorn spikes to pick away at the dirt, helping to avoid damaging the priceless relics.

For more on unusual plants in the UK, check out the piece I wrote on Giant Hogweed: