Leaves oblong-ovate, acute or acuminate, concave-cuneate or rounded at the entire or glandular base, sharply often doubly serrate above with straight glandular teeth, and divided into numerous short acute lateral lobes, about half grown when the flowers open the middle of May, and then membranaceous, light yellow-green and roughened above by short rigid white hairs and pale and glabrous below with the exception of a few hairs on the midrib, and slender primary veins arching to the point of the lobes, and at maturity subcoriaceous, glabrous, dark rather dull green and smooth above, pale yellow-green below, 3′—3½′ long, and 2′—2½′ wide; petioles slender, wing-margined above, villose at first, becoming glabrous, 1′—1½′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots usually rounded or truncate at the broad base, more deeply lobed, often 3½′—4′ long and 3½′ wide. Flowers about ¾′ in diameter, on slender slightly hairy pedicels, in crowded compact 5—25, usually 15—18-flowered sparingly villose corymbs, with linear-obovate coarsely glandular reddish bracts and bractlets, mostly deciduous before the flowers open; calyx narrowly obconic, glabrous, the lobes long, slender, glandular with large bright red stipitate glands, glabrous on the outer, slightly villose on the inner surface; stamens 5—10, usually 5—8; anthers deep rose-purple; styles 4 or 5, surrounded at base by a narrow ring of pale pubescence. Fruit ripening early in September and soon falling, on stout glabrous pedicels, in large many-fruited drooping clusters, short-oblong to slightly ovoid, rounded at the ends, bright cherry-red, lustrous, pruinose, marked by few large dark dots, ⅝′—¾′ long, and about ½′ in diameter; calyx only slightly enlarged, the lobes erect and incurved, coarsely serrate, dark red on the upper side below the middle, their tips deciduous from the ripe fruit; flesh thick, pale yellow, juicy; nutlets 4 or 5, narrow at the ends, irregularly ridged often with a high broad ridge, and sometimes grooved on the back, about ¼′ long.
A tree, occasionally 20° high, with a trunk a foot in diameter, ascending branches forming a narrow open head, and stout glabrous branchlets bright reddish brown and rather lustrous during their first season, becoming light gray slightly tinged with red in their second year, and armed with stout straight or slightly curved spines 1′—1½′ long; or occasionally shrubby, with a short trunk divided near the ground into several spreading stems.
Distribution. Rich moist ground, Stratford, Fairfield County (E. H. Eames), and Ansonia, New Haven County, Connecticut (E. B. Harger).
104. [Cratægus sertata] Sarg.
Leaves oblong-ovate, acuminate, rounded, truncate, subcordate or rarely cuneate at the broad base, finely and often doubly serrate with straight gland-tipped teeth, and deeply divided into 5 or 6 pairs of wide acuminate lobes, when they unfold coated above with short pale hairs and villose below on the midrib and veins, about half grown and villose when the flowers open during the first half of May, and at maturity membranaceous, dark yellow-green and scabrate on the upper surface, pale yellow-green and glabrous on the lower surface, 2½′—3′ long, and 1½′—2′ wide, with a thin yellow midrib, and slender primary veins arching obliquely to the point of the lobes; petioles slender, slightly grooved, villose early in the season, ultimately glabrous, sparingly glandular, 1½′—3′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots broad-ovate, rounded or slightly cordate at base, often 3′ long and 2½′ wide. Flowers ¾′—1′ in diameter, on slender pedicels, in broad 10—15-flowered densely villose corymbs, with linear to linear-obovate glandular large and conspicuous caducous bracts and bractlets; calyx-tube broadly obconic, glabrous above, villose below, the lobes abruptly narrowed from the base, broad, acuminate, tipped with small red glands, coarsely glandular-serrate, glabrate on the outer surface, pubescent on the inner surface; stamens 5—10, usually 5; anthers pale rose color; styles 3—5, surrounded at base by tufts of pale hairs. Fruit ripening about the middle of September and soon falling, on slender villose or pubescent pedicels, in drooping many-fruited clusters, subglobose to slightly obovoid, rounded at the ends, bright red and lustrous, becoming darker or crimson when fully ripe, marked by occasional large pale dots, about ½′ long and wide; calyx prominent, with enlarged mostly erect incurved serrate lobes; flesh thin, yellow, aromatic, pleasantly acid; nutlets 3—5, usually 4, thin, narrow and acute at the ends, slightly ridged on the back with a wide or narrow ridge, ⅜′ long.
A tree, 10°—20° high, with a trunk 6′—8′ in diameter and often 4°—5° long, covered with close dark gray bark separating into long narrow thin plate-like scales, stout spreading branches forming a handsome open head, and slender nearly straight branchlets thickly coated when they first appear with matted pale hairs, light brown and lustrous at the end of their first season, and dark gray-brown the following year, and unarmed or armed with stout nearly straight or curved spines 1′—2½′ long.
Distribution. Open woods and pastures in rich moist soil; northeastern Illinois (Mokena, Will County, Glenellyn, Dupage County, Barrington, Glendon Park, Cook County, Highland Park, Lake Zurich, Lake County); Fox Point, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.