Family: roses (Rosaceae)
Flowering time: May–June
Height: 6 m
Habitat: hedgerows, rocky grassy slopes, sunny forests and forest edges
One-seeded hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a shrub with thorny shoots. Leaves are distinctly lobed, with three to five lobes. The notches extend beyond half of the dark green, glossy leaf blade. The underside of the leaves is whitish-green. White five-petaled flowers are grouped into inflorescences at the tops of the shoots. The flowers have hairy pedicels and usually a single style, hence the name of this hawthorn species. The edible, glossy red fruits contain a single seed. One-seeded hawthorn has long been used in folk medicine. Preparations from flowers or leaves are used, for example, to relieve problems with the circulatory, digestive or respiratory systems. It is widespread throughout Slovenia, and it grows on barren soils in warmer and sunnier locations.
