The pink and white flowers make a striking display in May, which is why the hawthorn has become identified as one of the May birth month flowers. Hawthorn trees have a central place in old-world mythology, especially in the Celtic world.
Name and Distribution
Hawthorn is a shrub that belongs to the rose family or Rosaceae, which includes many familiar flowers and fruit like apples, cherries, and pears. The name for the genus is Crataegus derived from the Greek words “kratos” (“strength”) and “akis” (“sharp”) because many species of hawthorn have sharp thorns.
The hawthorn is also known as quickthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn, quickthirn, haw berry, and Mayflower. The name of the tree is derived from the Old English word “hagathorn,” or “hedgethorn.”
This group of plants is native to northern hemisphere temperate regions in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. The leaves and fruit are edible and can be used in salads and in making jellies and wine.
Symbolism and Mythology of the Hawthorn Tree
Hawthorn trees have several meanings attached to them, especially derived from European mythology and folklore. In Celtic mythology, they are linked to the fairy world, and places where hawthorn trees grow are believed to be gateways to other worlds.
In Ireland and Scotland, hawthorn trees growing near holy wells became “rag trees,” with bits of string and cloth tied to them with prayers. Hawthorn trees are associated with protection and with hope, happiness, love, and fertility.
However, bringing a hawthorn branch or flower indoors can be bad luck. Further, it is believed to be bad luck to cut down a hawthorn tree, and there is still great reluctance in Ireland to cut down one of these “fairy trees.”
Hawthorn Trees in Gardens and Fields
Hawthorn trees are planted in gardens as ornamentals for their abundant display of flowers in the spring and brightly-colored berries in the fall and winter. The berries, which start out yellow and then turn red as they ripen, provide food for birds in the winter. The thorn trees provide shelter from predators, and birds often build their nests among their branches.
The deciduous trees and shrubs can grow up to 30 feet tall. Hawthorn trees do best in full sun or partial shade and like well-drained and well-watered soil. Because of their dense structure, the shrubs were traditionally used in Europe for hedges to fence and protect livestock. They were also used as boundary markers, and the famous hedgerows of Ireland are made up of hawthorns and their relatives, the blackthorns.
May birth month flowers celebrate spring and the coming of summer and have rich meanings in culture and folklore. If you’re born in May, you’re lucky to be connected to the beauty, color, and scent of lilies of the valley and hawthorn blossoms with their meanings of sweetness, hope, and protection.