All hail the (winter) King

Kingdom: Plantae

Family: Rosaceae

Species: Crataegus viridis

Crataegus viridis is known as the Winter King hawthorn tree, due to its berries being present all throughout winter, right up until March. The fruits are around half an inch in diameter, and start out green, then ripen from orange to bright orange-red in early winter and remain attractive until late winter. Birds do not care much for the berries, and therefore they tend to avoid them until food sources are running scarce. 

For a hawthorn tree it actually has relatively few thorns and in winter it displays an exfoliating bark which is of interest. These trees have clearly been recently planted and therefore the bark is not a highlight of the tree's appeal yet. Compared to other hawthorns, the Winter King is relatively resistant to common diseases such as scab and rust. It is also tolerant to most soil types and city pollution, which makes it a popular choice in urban landscaping. At maturity, the tree stays fairly small at up to 25 to 30 feet tall, with a rounded vaselike shape. This short stature makes it ideal for tight spaces, in the small green spaces within the UEA campus rather than the surrounding grounds. The grey backdrop of the buildings allows the foliage to stand out in all seasons.

The tree is a four-season tree, with white flowers in spring, which show up nicely against the green foliage. The flowers have five petals and are meladorous (a bit smelly!). It bears a clean summer foliage of a dark green colour with a leathery texture, and golden-yellow fruits in fall and winter, which cheer up an otherwise bleak and blank winter canvas. To top it all off, in autumn the leaves undergo a beautiful transformation thanks to senescence, turning gold with traces of red, purple and maroon. When they fall, they reveal the exfoliating bark which reveals a warm copper-cinammon colour. Due to being a young tree, this is more a silvery-green colour.

This tree is clearly worthy of its royal appointment as Winter King. However, it deserves credit for the other seasons too, as it retains its beauty in different forms throughout the year.