Editing Crataegus (section)

==Uses==
===Culinary use===
[[File:2013-05-23 07 24 06 Crataegus monogyna 'Crimson Cloud' blossoms in Elko Nevada.jpg|thumb|upright|''Crataegus monogyna'' 'Crimson Cloud' in Elko, Nevada]]

The "haws" or fruits of the [[common hawthorn]], ''C.&nbsp;monogyna'', are edible. In the United Kingdom, they are sometimes used to make a [[Fruit preserves|jelly]] or [[Winemaking|homemade wine]].<ref name ="Wright">Wright, John (2010), [https://books.google.com/books?id=_E026S_SW_kC&dq=%22Hawthorn+%22bread+and+cheese%22&pg=PA73 ''Hedgerow: River Cottage Handbook''] Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, {{ISBN|978-1-4088-0185-7}} (pp. 73–74)</ref> The leaves are edible, and if picked in spring when still young, are tender enough to be used in salads.<ref>Richard Mabey, ''Food for Free'', Collins, October 2001.</ref> The young leaves and flower buds, which are also edible, are known as "bread and cheese" in rural England.<ref name ="Wright"/> In the southern United States, fruits of three native species are collectively known as [[mayhaw]]s and are made into jellies which are considered a delicacy. The [[Kutenai]] people of northwestern North America used red and black hawthorn fruit for food.

On [[Manitoulin Island]], Ontario, some red-fruited species are called hawberries. During colonisation, European settlers ate these fruits during the winter as the only remaining food supply. People born on the island are now called "[[haweater]]s".

The fruits of ''[[Crataegus mexicana|C.&nbsp;mexicana]]'' are known in Mexico as ''tejocotes'' and are eaten raw, cooked, or in jam during the winter. They are stuffed in the ''[[piñata]]s'' broken during the traditional pre-Christmas celebration known as ''[[Las Posadas]]''. They are also cooked with other fruits to prepare a Christmas punch. The mixture of ''tejocote'' paste, sugar and chili powder produces a popular Mexican candy called ''rielitos'', which is manufactured by several brands.

The 4&nbsp;cm fruits of the species ''[[Crataegus pinnatifida|C.&nbsp;pinnatifida]]'' (Chinese hawthorn) are tart, bright red and resemble small [[Malus|crabapple]] fruits. They are used to make many kinds of Chinese snacks, such as ''[[tanghulu]]'' — coated in sugar syrup and skewered – and [[haw flakes]]. The fruits, which are called 山楂 ''shān zhā'' in Chinese, are also used to produce jams, jellies, juices, alcoholic beverages and other drinks; these could in turn be used in other dishes (for instance, many older recipes for [[sweet and sour#Hong Kong/Cantonese|Cantonese sweet and sour sauce]] call for ''shānzhā'' jam). In South Korea, a liquor called ''sansachun'' (산사춘) is made from the fruits.

In Iran, the fruits of ''Crataegus'' (including ''[[Crataegus azarolus]]'' var. ''aronia'', as well as other species) are known as ''zâlzâlak'' and eaten raw as a snack, or made into a jam known by the same name.

The fruits of North America's ''[[Crataegus greggiana|C.&nbsp;greggiana]]'' are made into preserves.<ref>{{cite book |last=Little |first=Elbert L. |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |year=1980 |isbn=0-394-50760-6 |page=473}}</ref>

===Research===
A 2008 [[Cochrane Collaboration]] [[meta-analysis]] of previous studies concluded that evidence exists of "a&nbsp;significant benefit in symptom control and physiologic outcomes" for an [[extract]] of hawthorn used as an [[Adjuvant therapy|adjuvant]] in treating [[chronic heart failure]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E |title=Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |pages=CD005312 |date=23 January 2008 |volume=2013 |pmid=18254076 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD005312.pub2 |editor1-last=Guo |editor1-first=Ruoling |issue=1|pmc=11753770 }}</ref> A 2010 review<ref name=Tassell>{{cite journal |vauthors=Tassell M, Kingston R, Gilroy D, Lehane M, Furey A |year=2010 |title=Hawthorn (''Crataegus'' spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease |journal=Pharmacognosy Reviews |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=32–41 |pmc=3249900 |pmid=22228939 |doi=10.4103/0973-7847.65324 |doi-access=free }}</ref> concluded that "Crataegus [hawthorn] preparations hold significant potential as a useful remedy in the treatment of [[cardiovascular disease]]". The review indicated the need for further study of the best dosages and concluded that although "many different theoretical interactions between ''Crataegus'' and orthodox medications have been postulated ... none have [yet] been substantiated."<ref name=Tassell/>

[[Phytochemical]]s found in hawthorn include [[tannin]]s, [[flavonoid]]s, [[oligomeric proanthocyanidins]] and [[phenolic acid]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hawtho09.html |title=A Modern Herbal – Hawthorn |work=botanical.com |access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref>

===Traditional medicine===
Several species of hawthorn have been used in [[traditional medicine]]. The products used are often derived from ''C.&nbsp;monogyna'', ''[[Crataegus laevigata|C.&nbsp;laevigata]]'', or related ''Crataegus'' species, sometimes generally referred to as hawthorn without distinguishment.<ref name=Phipps/> The [[dried fruit]]s of ''C.&nbsp;pinnatifida'' (called ''shān zhā'' in Chinese) are used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]], primarily as a digestive aid. A closely related species, ''[[Crataegus cuneata|C.&nbsp;cuneata]]'' (Japanese hawthorn, called ''sanzashi'' in Japanese) is used in a similar manner. Other species (especially ''Crataegus laevigata'') are used in [[herbal medicine]] where the plant is believed to strengthen cardiovascular function.<ref name=itmonline>{{citation |author=Dharmananda S. |title=Hawthorn (''Crataegus''). Food and Medicine in China |publisher=Institute of Traditional Medicine Online |volume=January |year=2004 |url=http://www.itmonline.org/arts/crataegus.htm}}</ref>

The [[Kutenai people]] of northwestern North America used [[List of hawthorn species with black fruit#North American species|black hawthorn fruit]] ([[Kutenai language]]: kaǂa; approximate pronunciation: ''kasha'') for food, and red hawthorn fruit (Kutenai language: ǂupǂi; approximate pronunciation: ''shupshi'') in traditional medicine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FirstVoices – Ktunaxa. Plants: medicine plants: words.|access-date=11 July 2012|url=http://www.firstvoices.ca/en/Ktunaxa/word-category/d2ad144298c3bbdb/--Plants---medicine-plants}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

====Side effects====
Overdose can cause [[cardiac arrhythmia]] and low blood pressure, while milder [[side effect]]s include [[nausea]] and [[dizziness]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69252.cfm#SideEffects |title=Hawthorn |publisher=Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |date=2019 |access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref> Patients taking [[digoxin]] should avoid taking hawthorn.<ref name=Dasgupta>{{cite journal |vauthors=Dasgupta A, Kidd L, Poindexter BJ, Bick RJ |date=August 2010 |title=Interference of hawthorn on serum digoxin measurements by immunoassays and pharmacodynamic interaction with digoxin |journal=Arch Pathol Lab Med |volume=134 |issue=8 |pages=1188–92 |pmid=20670141 |doi=10.5858/2009-0404-OA.1}}</ref><ref name=DigoxinStudy>{{cite journal |author1=Tankenow Roberta |author2=Tamer Helen R. |author3=Streetman Daniel S. |author4=Smith Scott G. |author5=Welton Janice L. |author6=Annesley Thomas |author7=Aaronson Keith D. |author8=Bleske Barry E. |year=2003 |title=Interaction Study between Digoxin and a Preparation of Hawthorn (''Crataegus oxyacantha'') |url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/97293/0091270003253417.pdf?sequence=1 |journal=J Clin Pharmacol |volume=43 |issue=6 |pages=637–642 |doi=10.1177/0091270003253417 |pmid=12817526 |hdl=2027.42/97293 |s2cid=9888330 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

===Landscaping===
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. During the [[British Agricultural Revolution]] in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, hawthorn saplings were mass propagated in nurseries to create the new field boundaries required by the [[Inclosure Acts]].<ref>Williamson, Tom (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=r9JBAgAAQBAJ&dq=hawthorn+enclosures&pg=PA104 ''An Environmental History of Wildlife in England 1650 – 1950''] Bloomsbury Academic, {{ISBN|978-1-4411-0863-0}} (p. 104)</ref> Several [[cultivar]]s of the Midland hawthorn ''C.&nbsp;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}}

===Grafting===
{{Further|Grafting}}
[[File:Medlar rootstock.jpg|thumb|upright|Hawthorn [[rootstock]] on a [[Mespilus germanica|medlar]] tree in [[Totnes]], UK]]

Hawthorn can be used as a [[rootstock]] in the practice of grafting. It is graft-compatible with ''[[Mespilus]]'' (medlar) and with pear,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Asheghi |first=M. Sajad |date=1 March 2022 |title=Phenotypic Diversity of Crataegus orientalis subsp. szovitsii (Pojark.) K.I.Chr. Population in Markazi Province, Iran |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-021-00605-2 |journal=Erwerbs-Obstbau |language=en |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=69–74 |doi=10.1007/s10341-021-00605-2 |s2cid=243803560 |issn=1439-0302}}</ref> and makes a hardier rootstock than [[quince]], but the thorny [[Sucker (botany)|suckering]] habit of the hawthorn can be problematic.<ref name="Phipps" />

[[Seedling]]s of ''[[Crataegus monogyna]]'' have been used to graft multiple species on the same trunk, such as [[Crataegus × media|pink hawthorn]], pear tree and medlar, the result being trees which give pink and white flowers in May and fruits during the summer. "Chip [[budding]]" has also been performed on hawthorn trunks to have branches of several varieties on the same tree. Such trees can be seen in [[Vigo]], Spain, and in the northwest of France (mainly in [[Brittany]]).{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

===Bonsai===
Many species of hawthorn make excellent [[bonsai]] trees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bonsaiempire.com/basics/progressions/hawthorn |title=Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) progression |publisher=Bonsai Empire |date=2014 |access-date=2 October 2014}}</ref> They are grown and enjoyed for their display of flowers.

===Other uses===
The wood of some ''Crataegus'' species is hard and resistant to rot.<ref name="bc">{{cite web |title=Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) |url=https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/blackhawthorn.htm |publisher=Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Government of British Columbia |access-date=12 April 2019 |date=2019}}</ref> In rural North America, it was prized for use as tool handles and fence posts.<ref name=pfaf/><ref name=bc/> [[First Nations in British Columbia|First Nations]] people of western Canada used the thorns for durable [[fish hook]]s and minor skin [[surgery|surgeries]].<ref name=bc/>