Summary
Winter King green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’) is a favored cultivar for use in planted landscapes due to its increased disease-resistance and multi-season interest. Clusters of white flowers bloom in spring, followed by red fruits that often persist into the winter. Fall color is variable, ranging from warmer orange tones to green and yellow. While this species may have fewer spines than most hawthorns, 1.5″ thorns can make pruning and maintenance difficult. This hawthorn’s silver-gray bark peels off as it ages, revealing its orange inner bark. It has a broad, stiff vase-shaped habit, reaching 20-30’ tall and wide at maturity.
Winter King green hawthorn can be grown in a wide range of conditions including urban areas and sites with poor, compacted, or dry soils. As it is a hawthorn, this cultivar is prone to cedar-hawthorn rust. The cedar-hawthorn rust fungus overwinters on juniper (Juniperus spp.) including eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). In spring, spores are blown up to several miles during rainy weather, infecting hawthorns upon contact. Infected hawthorns exhibit yellow/orange spots on the leaves and tiny rust-colored growths on the fruit. In late summer, spores produced on the host hawthorn are blown on the wind and infect junipers, continuing the cycle. Infected hawthorns will still bloom and produce fruit. In most cases, the fungus does not cause serious damage to the host (spotty leaves may drop prematurely) and management is not required. Zones 4-7.
More Details
- Plant Type
tree - Sun/Shade Conditions
full-sun-to-light-shade - Foliage Character
deciduous - Soil Moisture
dry-to-average - Flowering Period
late-spring - Soil PH
adaptable - Flower Color
white - Summer Foliage Color
green - Fall Foliage Color
green, yellow - Fruit/Seed Color
red
Additional Information
Hort.net, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center