Hawthorn

Hawthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub or tree that grows up to fifteen metres high. There are more than 200 species of hawthorn that grow around the world.

Folk names for hawthorn vary around the world.  In some countries the berries are known as Pixie Pears, Cuckoo's Beads and Chucky Cheese, whilst the hawthorn itself has been known as the May, Mayblossom, Hagthorn, Mayflower, Ladies Meat, Bread and Cheese and Quickthorn.
In May its flowers bloom, hence its name of May tree. The flowers grow in small clusters that are white, red, pink or combinations of those colours. These flowers turn in to small red berries in the autumn, which are also known as haws.

The maypole was originally constructed from hawthorn.  In parts of Europe, branches were cut from the hawthorn on May or Beltane eve and were used to decorate the doors of houses and the blossoms made into garlands for the maypole on May Day.