Aubépine in flower.There is a lot of hawthorn out on the edges of the vineyard and it's in glorious bloom right now. I thought you'd like to see some.
*****
UPDATE: See the comments for a discussion of what this plant really is...
Friday, April 03, 2009
Aubépine
This time of year sees many trees in blossom. Around here, one of the many striking sights at wood's edge and along roadsides are the brilliant white flowers of the aubépine. I think it's what we call hawthorn in English.
Aubépine in flower.
There is a lot of hawthorn out on the edges of the vineyard and it's in glorious bloom right now. I thought you'd like to see some.
*****
UPDATE: See the comments for a discussion of what this plant really is...
Aubépine in flower.There is a lot of hawthorn out on the edges of the vineyard and it's in glorious bloom right now. I thought you'd like to see some.
*****
UPDATE: See the comments for a discussion of what this plant really is...
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I was amazed last week, driving through basse normandie every second tree appeared to be a hawthorn or close relation in bloom. The rest of the colours were plum and forsythia.
ReplyDeleteNot a truly beautiful colour mix, but better than bare twigs.
It's still too early for Hawthorn yet. The blossom now is Blackthorn (Prunellier. The fruit they bear is used to make sloe gin.
ReplyDeleteWhew! Blackthorn, Hawthorn, whatever-thorn. They all look kind of the same. And that means very pretty. How do you tell the difference?
ReplyDeleteI think the way to tell an Aubépine from a Prunellier is from their fruits. The Prunellier's is black and the Aubépine's is red. I hope I'm right! Susan will tell.
ReplyDeleteHawthorn - or what I know as hawthorn - has tightly-packed flowers, rather than open flat ones like the blackthorn. Also known in some parts of England as may (as in "Cast not a clout till may be out"), and the object of some superstition (my father couldn't abide the idea of bringing hawthorn flowers into the house).
ReplyDeleteIt's too early for fruit or even flowers. Thanks, Autolycus, for the clue. I'll start paying attention. In fact, I've never seen fruit on any of the bushes I suspect as hawthorn or blackthorn. I wonder if the birds don't eat all the fruit as soon as it appears.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say "even leaves", not "even flowers"...
ReplyDeleteThe hawthorne we had at our last house was pink blossoms....it was so pretty but made a giant frilly pink mess. I can't tell you enough how your pics remind me of good and happy times in nature!
ReplyDeleteWell, even on my own blog I learn new things. I never new either of these plants before moving to France. A friend pointed them out one day and said, "those are aubépine, so I thought they all were.
ReplyDeleteAuty is right. Hawthorn have a more compact arrangement of flowers and the petals are rounder and less loosely open than the blackthorn. By the time Hawthorn flowers it will be more or less in leaf, but Blackthorn always flowers before the leaves come out. Blackthorn have very dark stems, often looking black, especially from a distance. Hawthorn have paler trunks and twigs. Both have spines, but Blackthorn have long black needle like spines, buried in amongst the flowers and leaves so you hardly notice them. Once you have noticed them, you'll wonder why you never saw them before. Hawthorn spines are shorter and fatter. Hawthorn blossom starts off white and goes pink once it has been pollinated. There are some garden cultivars of Hawthorn with dark pink flowers and they make attractive small trees. Blackthorn is not planted in gardens and is a much more untidy looking affair. CHM is right – Blackthorn has black fruit, Hawthorn red. Blackthorn berries, called sloes, are traditionally used to make sloe gin. Hawthorn berries don't have a traditional culinary use that I know of.
ReplyDeleteHere's a footnote to a footnote about hawthorn: there's a far too enthusiastic young man on TV in Britain doing a programme on making your own drugs (no, not that - herbal remedies for various things) - and one of them is an artichoke and hawthorn chewy bar that's supposed to reduce your cholesterol.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/features/growyourowndrugs/episode6.shtml
My brother uses hawthorn infusion, whether it is flower or fruits, I don't know, for some kind of ailment. He told me, but I'm not sure I remember what it is.
ReplyDelete