The Song of the Mayflower

"My buds, they cluster small and green;

The sunshine gaineth heat:

Soon shall the hawthorn tree be clothed

As with a snowy sheet.

O magic sight, the hedge is white,

My scent is very sweet:

And lo, where I am come indeed,

The Spring and Summer meet."

Words & illustration by Cicely Mary Barker, from The Complete Book of Flower Fairies. PREORDER NOW.

Here in New Zealand, hawthorn flowers in spring, around September and October. But in Europe it traditionally flowers around May, which is why it has accumulated names such as Mayflower, May Tree and Maythorn. Its botanical name, Crataegus, comes from the Greek kratos, meaning strength, referring to the famously hard wood.

Hawthorn has a long history as a medicinal plant, particularly as a heart herb. The flowers, leaves and berries have all been used traditionally, with hawthorn regarded as a strengthening and uplifting medicine for the heart and cardiovascular system. The berries are rich in antioxidants and contain vitamin C and minerals, and have traditionally been made into jams, jellies, sauces, fruit leathers, wines and tinctures.

Hawthorn has a particularly strong association with the fairy world. In Irish and Celtic folklore it is known as the Faery Tree, and traditionally cutting down a solitary hawthorn was considered extremely unlucky. There are stories of roads being diverted rather than a beloved hawthorn being felled, such was the fear of disturbing the fairies said to inhabit these trees.

Hawthorn also has a long association with love, marriage and fertility. In ancient Greek and European traditions, flowers were used in wedding ceremonies and brides were sometimes adorned with hawthorn. It was also associated with May Day and the arrival of spring.

Hawthorn was planted extensively around farms to create dense, thorny hedgerows, forming living boundaries that were almost impossible for livestock to push through. In fact, its common name essentially means hedge thorn.

Learn more about Hawthorn in my Tree Food & Medicine Foraging Guide. Comment Wild and I'll send you the link.