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Nov 20, 2009: Caltha leptosepala var. leptosepala
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Agave 'Shark Skin'
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Gomphocarpus physocarpus
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Acaena magellanica subsp. laevigata
November 4, 2009 : Crataegus mexicana
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Plant Family / Families: Rosacae
Scientific Name and Author: Crataegus mexicana DC.
Institution: San Francisco Botanical Garden
Name Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Lindsay again writes today's entry:
Thank you to Eric in SF@Flickr (also of Orchid Photos.org) for submitting today's photograph (original image | Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool).
Native to Mexico and northern South America, Crataegus mexicana is one of 135-280 species of hawthorns (the wide range is indicative of an ongoing taxonomic argument). The species pictured here, commonly called Mexican hawthorn, can often be found under the scientific name Crataegus pubescens, but that name has since been rejected in favour of Crataegus mexicana.
Mexicans often call this species tejocote. Many food products, like concentrated pulp, jam, jellies, and marmalades can be processed from this fruit, making it of economical importance. Some of the largest plantations of Crataegus mexicana flourish in Mexico, where upwards of 24 000 tons/year are produced. Cultivated forms of the tree can be nearly thornless and large-fruited, whereas the wild species is generally thorny and small-fruited.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 4, 2009 11:00 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Eric in SF at November 4, 2009 11:17 AM
i wonder if it tastes good...
Posted by: kate at November 4, 2009 12:55 PM
i have tried it and found it not so pleasant eaten out of hand, but that is not how it is normally consumed. in the form of a preserve it is quite nice, resembling crab apple preserve, though not quite so tart.
Posted by: jay bost at November 4, 2009 1:22 PM
This is a good reminder to visit the SF Botanical garden before the lovely fragrance is gone.
As for the taste I agree with jay. Not so good eaten as it, but probably better as preserve - much like quince.
Posted by: Cambree at November 4, 2009 2:44 PM
We would like to know the size of it's fruit. The birds planted a tree here ( Albuquerque, NM) years ago and we've never been able to identify it. The fruit has a lovely odor but tastes not so good. It's not an apple, quince or crabapple and resembles your Crataegus mexicana.
Posted by: Karisoo at November 4, 2009 4:24 PM
...from s.f.....it looks like a loquat....my back yard on california st.....'83..?
Posted by: phillip at November 4, 2009 4:46 PM
one of the highlights of a trip i made to san fran. 15 years ago was a Crataegus full of fruit in that botanical garden- possibly the same tree.
i grow 4 species in south louisiana- one of my favorite generas. the bark and the fruit!
Posted by: john at November 4, 2009 5:43 PM
thank you eric lovely photo
for all of to enjoy hawthorns
in bloom is a fest for the senses
i'll lie here and learn how over thier ground
trees make long shadows and a light sound
louise bogan
eric has a very glamours orchid web site
thank you daniel and company
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at November 4, 2009 6:13 PM
Karisoo - the fruits in the photo are roughly 2-3 inches in length and about 1.5 inches across.
Loquat is a very popular street tree and backyard fruit tree. The trees don't produce as heavy in San Francisco as they do across the Bay in Oakland and Berkeley.
Posted by: Eric in SF at November 4, 2009 6:32 PM
Crataegus spp. is my favourite horticultural plant. Thank you for profiling one from southern N.A. We have some very nice cultivated and wild varieties here as well.
Posted by: mary in Gatineau at November 4, 2009 6:48 PM
Collected this in the mountains of Mexico long ago with the famed plant collectors John Fairey and Carl Schoenfeld. When the fruit were crushed they formed a solid mass of pulp and pectin. I believe plants from this collection survive in Boston at the Arnold Arboretum...
Posted by: Rob Nicholson at November 5, 2009 12:58 PM
It already looks tasty even in the pic.
Posted by: De Kemist at November 6, 2009 3:43 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
You may not have noticed, but this fruit doesn't follow traditional seasons. This photo was taken in early February in San Francisco, not November.
The area around this tree is wonderfully fragrant when the fruits are ripe.