Leaf guide › Roses & relatives
Black hawthorn
Crataegus douglasii
A thorny streamside shrub of the West whose leaves turn orange and red.
- Fall color
- OrangeRedYellow
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 1–3 in. long
- Found in
- Northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest
How to recognize it
- Small oval leaf, widest above the middle, narrowing to a wedge-shaped base.
- Toothed edges, often with small, shallow lobes toward the tip.
- Stout thorns about an inch long on the branches.
- White flower clusters in spring and small, nearly black fruit in late summer.
- A many-stemmed shrub or small tree, usually near water.
Where to find it
Look for it along streams, in thickets, and at the edges of meadows and forests in the northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest, including western Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
Easy to confuse with
Other hawthorns
Similar thorny shrubs and small trees, but most have red fruit rather than black.
Worth knowing
Black hawthorn is in the rose family, related to apples and serviceberries. Its dense, thorny thickets give cover to birds, and birds and other wildlife eat its fruit.
Common questions
What color does black hawthorn turn in fall?
Black hawthorn turns yellow, orange, and red in fall.
When does black hawthorn change color?
Around the middle of the local season, often alongside the cottonwoods and aspen along streams.
How can you tell black hawthorn from other hawthorns?
Look at the fruit: black hawthorn has small, nearly black fruit, while most other hawthorns have red fruit.
Where does black hawthorn grow?
In the lower 48, mainly in the northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest, along streams and in thickets.
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