Birth flower
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna. In the language of flowers, as lists print it today, it stands for hope, the reading Kate Greenaway printed for it in 1884. It is a custom of sentiment, not a scientific or official designation.
- Latin name
- Crataegus monogyna
- Month
- May
- Meaning today
- hopeThe same reading Kate Greenaway printed in 1884.
The plant itself
| Family | Rosaceae |
|---|---|
| Native to | Europe to the Caucasus, and North Africa to Iraq |
| Habit | shrub |
| Height | 4–10 m |
| Flowers | May (April to June) |
The epithet monogyna is a character you can check by cutting a haw open: this species has one style and one stone, hence its other name, one-seeded hawthorn, while the midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata has two or three of each.
Where the names come from
Old English had hagaþorn, and earlier hæguþorn: haw is an obsolete word for a hedge or an enclosing fence, so the name is the hedge thorn, after the shrub's use in hedges. Dutch, German, Swedish and Old Norse have matching compounds. The genus name, Crataegus, which Linnaeus gave it, is borrowed from the Greek krataigos.
Where the meaning is written down
- As the dictionary prints it
- HopeUnder the heading “Hawthorn” in Kate Greenaway, Language of Flowers, 1884.
- As lists print it today
- HopeThe same reading, in today's wording.
Greenaway and Ingram's Flora Symbolica (1869) both give the same meaning, "hope".
Is it poisonous?
The two authorities disagree. The ASPCA lists hawthorns, Crataegus species, as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. The RHS is more cautious: it says the seeds contain toxins and should be removed if the fruit is to be eaten, and that for pets the fruit is ornamental, not to be eaten.
Each finding above names who made it: the ASPCA's poisonous plant database, the Royal Horticultural Society's harm ratings, or a published report. This is general information and not veterinary advice — if an animal or a person has eaten part of a plant, ring a vet or a poison line rather than reading a website.