Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) as an Ornamental Plant

摘要

The hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) belongs to the Rosaceae family, subfamily Maloideae, and native to temperate and cold climate regions of Mexico.Mexico houses the only germplasm bank of this genus, where 196 accessions are safeguarded.Also, from morphological studies of 93 accessions five cultivars have been generated based on the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and registered in the Servicio Nacional de lnspeceión y Certificación de Semilla y Obtenciones Vegetales (SNICS-National Service of Inspection and Certification of Seed and Plant Varieties) of Mexico.The intensity of their flower production and the diversity of colors in their fruits make them excellent cultivars for use as ornamentals in gardens and large landscaped areas.Usually, the fruits ripen and remain on the tree from August to December.There are several cultivars of this genus: 'Chapeado' (C.mexicana Moc.& Sessé) bears large fruit (4 cm on average), which are yellow-orange with a slightly reddish coloring, from November to January.'Calpan Gold' (C.mexicana Moc.& Sessé) is highly productive and tolerant to Rhagoletis; its fruits are large (3.5 cm) and ripen from early November to late December, and the tree crown is circular.'Tempranero' (C.gracilior Phipps) fruit is medium-sized (2-4 cm), pale yellow with a small red blush; the tree gives fruit in August.'Centenario' (C.nelsoni Eggl.) fruits are bright red, medium-sized (2.5-3.5 cm), highly productive maturing from September through December.Although the fruits ripen, they remain on the tree for the entire four months.'Eli' (C.stipulosa (HBK) Steud.) fruits are dark red, medium sized (2-4 cm), while the tree is highly productive and has a circular crown.