Midland Hawthorn is similar to the more frequent and widespread Common Hawthorn and is easily overlooked in the countryside.

Native central and west Europe including Britain, but a neophyte in Ireland. Quite widespread in central, southern and eastern England, especially in heavy clay soils, but infrequent elsewhere in Britain and Ireland.

Monoecious, with hermaphrodite flowers. Insect-pollinated. Fruit a pome. Bird-distributed.

Small (10-15m), bushy. Bark brown, scaly-ridged. Twigs olive to red-brown, with sharp thorns (2-3cm). Leaves small (4-6cm), dark glossy and mostly glabrous, obovate, with 3-5 shallow lobes (never more than halfway to the midrib). Flowers in round corymbs (6-12), in May, white or sometimes pink, with 20 stamens, red anthers and 2-3 styles. Crimson haws contain 2-3 nutlets. Common Hawthorn differs: deeper-cut lobes, hairier undersides, single style, single-seeded fruit.

Thrives on heavy clay soils and is best grown from seed. It can be laid in hedgerows or kept as a small standard, like Common Hawthorn, and land managers might consider it as an alternative on heavy agricultural soils. Many cultivars with variously coloured flowers make appealing medium-garden 'lawn' specimens, such as 'Paul's Scarlet', 'Rosea Flore Plena' and 'Plena Alba'.

Found in ancient woodland and hedgerows, its thorny canopy provides shelter to wildlife all year round. Its flowers provide a source of nectar in spring and fruit for birds (e.g. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes) and small mammals in winter.

Generally free of pests and pathogens.

Ornamental (cultivars). The true species enhances any hedgerow and woodland understorey.