Crataegus pallens Beadle. Pale-fruited Hawthorn. Phen: Late Apr-May; Sep-Oct. Hab: Slopes and rock outcrops, especially over mafic substrates. Dist: Endemic to southern Appalachians: w. NC (Buncombe, Madison Cos), and perhaps in ne. AL, n. GA.
ID notes: The oblong-ovate leaves with 2 to 3 pairs of straight-sided lobes, 15-20 stamens, yellowish elliptical fruit and furrowed trunk bark are diagnostic.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments: C. pallens is closely related to C. venusta Beadle and has been interpreted as a variety in Lance (2014); it is assumed to be the most northerly-distributed member of the Pulcherrimae series.
Synonymy: = S13; = Crataegus venusta Beadle var. pallens (Beadle) Lance – Lance (2014); < Crataegus flabellata (Bosc ex Spach) K.Koch – RAB; < Crataegus intricata Lange – K1, S; > Crataegus prismatica Ashe – S13; < Crataegus venusta Beadle – FNA9
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