Crataegus monogyna
Common hawthorn

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Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), also known as oneseed hawthorn, single-seed hawthorn, or quickthorn, is indigenous to Europe and extends from North Africa to the Himalayas (Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow up to 10 m tall, thriving in areas with high light intensity and exposed soil. It is highly effective at colonizing abandoned, eroded, or disturbed sites, making it an important species in natural habitat reconstruction (Brown et al., 2016). In the wild, it typically grows in woodlands and along woodland edges, but it is equally prominent in hedgerows and open landscapes. 

Common hawthorn is widely valued for ornamental planting and hedging due to its dense foliage, abundant white spring blossoms, and red fruits; this gives it a high ecological importance, providing habitat and food for birds and insects (Brown et al., 2016). In Türkiye and other regions, common hawthorn is an important fruit species, with the berries widely used in traditional medicine for their cardiovascular and antioxidant properties (Erkek et al., 2025). 

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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)

Caudullo, Giovanni; Welk, Erik; San-Miguel-Ayanz, Jesús (2017). Chorological maps and data for the main European woody species. figshare. Collection. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2918528

 

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Crataegus monogyna conservation in Europe

Genetic summary

Genetic diversity and variation 

Genetic diversity in common hawthorn is high in many populations, such as those in Türkiye. However, some studies show low genetic diversity, with one haplotype predominating across Europe (Fineschi et al., 2005; Erkek et al., 2025). Most genetic variation is within populations rather than between populations, consistent with extensive gene flow via both pollen and seeds (Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008; Brown et al., 2016). 

Some Italian and Turkish populations show more internal genetic structuring and higher polymorphism, reflecting local differentiation and historical refugia, while north-western European populations of common hawthorn are typically more genetically homogenized (Fineschi et al., 2005; Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008; Brown et al., 2016; Erkek et al., 2025). 

Genetic distribution and clustering 

In Europe, common hawthorn shows weak geographic structuring of genetic diversity. Some haplotypes are widely shared, and one haplotype is found across populations in Europe (~85% of individuals); thus, populations do not form clear and ordered genetic clusters (Fineschi et al., 2005). 

Populations of common hawthorn in northern Italy show moderate but significant genetic differentiation without isolation by distance (Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008), while British and Irish populations belong to a single genetic cluster with extremely low between-population differentiation (Brown et al., 2016). Exceptional hotspots of haplotype richness exist in Tofta, Sweden, and Bovenden, Germany (Fineschi et al., 2005). High seed dispersal by birds and human-mediated transfer of genetic material explains the widespread mixing of clusters (Fineschi et al., 2005; Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). 

Gene flow 

Common hawthorn is pollinated by insects, and its berries are consumed by birds and mammals. This can facilitate long-distance gene flow and reduce the genetic differentiation between populations (Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). 

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.

Further relevant genetic traits

 Interspecific Taxa dynamics 

Common hawthorn is part of a taxonomically unclear genus, with estimates of species richness varying from ~100 to 1 000. Its evolutionary dynamics are shaped by polyploidy (more than two complete sets of chromosomes in the cells), apomixis (a form of asexual reproduction in plants), and frequent hybridization, characteristics that make species identification difficult. Hybrids are common where species’ ranges overlap. In natural conditions, common hawthorn and hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) ranges do not typically overlap, but habitat loss, fragmentation, and human-mediated movement of plants have increased contact and introgression. However, common hawthorn can still be found as pure stands in many areas despite widespread hybridization (Fineschi et al., 2005; Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). 

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.

Genetic conservation

Threats 

Common hawthorn is widespread and not at immediate risk of extinction, but its genetic resources still face threats. Deforestation, climate change, habitat loss, and fragmentation reduce population sizes and interrupt gene flow. Human activity such as planting reproductive material of unknown origin can alter the genetic diversity of the species, while movement of plants and habitat disturbance also increase opportunities for hybridization and genetic mixing with other hawthorn species, changing the genetic diversity of the species (Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). Pathogens and diseases such as fire blight and leaf spot can reduce population sizes and threaten genetic diversity (Brown et al., 2016). 

Management 

Conservation efforts should prioritize maintaining intact woodland habitats and preventing further fragmentation, using local genetic material for restocking, and hedging where possible to preserve gene pools (Fineschi et al., 2005; Ferrazzini, Monteleone, and Belletti, 2008). A holistic woodland management approach that explicitly protects populations with high or rare chloroplast variation is recommended when sourcing seed or planting material (Brown et al., 2016). Active measures include disease monitoring and control, legal/operational limits on movement of planting material of unknown origin, ex situ conservation (seed banks, living collections) for genetically distinct populations, and targeted genetic monitoring to detect erosion or introgression. Most recent research has focused on useful traits (e.g., fruit properties) in cultivation; this genetic research can still guide conservation-for-use strategies, but further research is still needed (Erkek et al., 2025). 

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2025.

Genetic Characterisation of Crataegus monogyna and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

FOREMATIS

Further reading

Fichtner, A. and Wissemann, V. 2021. Biological flora of the British Isles: Crataegus monogyna. Journal of Ecology, 109(1): 541–571. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13554 

Yilmaz, K.U., Yanar, M., Ercisli, S., Sahiner, H., Taskin, T., and Zengin, Y. 2010. Genetic relationships among some hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) species and genotypes. Biochemical Genetics, 48(9): 873–878. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10528-010-9368-6 

References

Brown, J.A., Beatty, G.E., Finlay, C.M., Montgomery, W.I., Tosh, D.G., and Provan, J. 2016. Genetic analyses reveal high levels of seed and pollen flow in hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.), a key component of hedgerows. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 12(3): 58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-016-1020-0 

Erkek, B., Yaman, M., Sümbül, A., Demirel, S., Demirel, F., Coşkun, Ö.F., Say, A., Eren, B., Aydin, A., and Eroglu, A. 2025. Natural diversity of Crataegus monogyna Jacq. in northeastern Türkiye encompassing morphological, biochemical, and molecular features. Horticulturae, 11(3): 238. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030238 

Ferrazzini, D., Monteleone, I., and Belletti, P. 2008. Small-scale genetic diversity in oneseed hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.). European Journal of Forest Research, 127(5): 407–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-008-0224-8 

Fineschi, S., Salvini, D., Turchini, D., Pastorelli, R., and Vendramin, G.G. 2005. Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and C. laevigata (Poir.) DC. (Rosaceae, Maloideae) display low level of genetic diversity assessed by chloroplast markers. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 250(3): 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-004-0228-x 

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