Mayhaw
Crataegus aestivalis
A Southern hawthorn of wet woods, famous for jelly. Small pomes, thorny trees. Not a mayapple (Podophyllum — different, and unripe mayapple is toxic).
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
A Southern hawthorn of wet woods, famous for jelly. Small pomes, thorny trees. Not a mayapple (Podophyllum — different, and unripe mayapple is toxic).
Edible portions
- fruit for jelly
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 6–9 wet South
- Light. Sun to part shade
- Soil. Moist to wet
- Planting. A small thorny tree. Regional fruit.
- Harvest. Late spring (the ‘may’). Fruit drops.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Jelly — the classic use
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.