The Roman botanical of happiness and prosperity
Beautiful Botanicals by Joanne Howdle
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a small, deciduous tree, which grows to 10 metres. This botanical is native to Europe, north-west Africa, and western Asia.
It is long-lived and responds well to cutting, producing a dense, thorny barrier to livestock, and is perhaps best known as a hedging plant.
It blossoms from April to June, but mostly in May, which is why the hawthorn is often known as the ‘May Tree’. This name is sometimes corrupted regionally in Scotland to ‘Mey Tree’ and ‘Meysie Tree’.
Though the fresh green leaves of hawthorn may be among the earliest signs of rebirth after a lengthy winter, it is hawthorn blossom which lights up the countryside. The flowers are around 1.5 centimetres across, with white petals in dense domed heads.
In the Highlands, it was believed to be unlucky to have hawthorn blossom in the house, because the flowers bear the sickly-sweet smell of death. This aroma is from the trimethylamine contained in the blossom, which is an ingredient in the smell of putrefaction. This aroma is what attracts the carrion insects mainly responsible for fertilising the botanical.
From September to November, the distinctive fruit of the hawthorn, the dark-red coloured ‘haws’ appear. Each haw bears a single seed surrounded by a yellowish, pulpy mass.
Haws are an important food source for birds at a time when others are in short supply. An abundance of haws is said to presage a harsh winter. Haws are best gathered after the first frosts, when they become softer and more flavoursome. In some parts of Scotland, superstition has it that haws are only ready for picking after the witches have flown over them at Halloween!
In the ancient world, the virginal colour of hawthorn blossom, combined with the timing of their appearance, made hawthorn a natural choice for inclusion in symbolic springtime rites. In the pagan Roman world, hawthorn signified happiness and prosperity in marriage and the botanical was believed to protect new-born children from evil and sickness.
In the Highlands, hawthorn appears often as a trysting tree in tales of faerie lore. In fact, ‘Clootie Trees’ – trees hung with cloths – were often hawthorns.
As a divinatory aid, the flowering of hawthorn was used as a guide in the Highlands as the time to pack away winter clothing.
The wood of the plant used to be valued in the Highlands for making small, decorative items, household tools and handles for larger implements. Whilst in the past hawthorn bark was used to make a black dye with copperas (iron sulphate), the leaves (with alum as a mordant) were used to dye clothes an olive brown colour.
In traditional medicine hawthorn was used in the Highlands as a decoction to treat sore throats. A decoction of hawthorn flowers and haws was also believed to alleviate insomnia, whilst hawthorn flowers and haws were also used to treat an imbalance in blood pressure.
The presence of hawthorn on archaeological sites suggests that parts of this botanical may have been on the menu for a long time. Hawthorn leaves, when young and fresh, have a pleasantly nutty flavour, good for nibbling as a snack, or for adding an interesting flavour to salads.
Although the haws are unpalatable raw, they make excellent preserves, jellies and even ketchup. Haws can also be used to make brandy and gin. Hawthorn gin is not as sweet or syrupy as sloe gin, but it is very moreish!
- Joanne Howdle is tour and events co-ordinator at the multi-award-winning Dunnet Bay Distillers Ltd.