Mayhaw is the name given to the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

of the species of ''Crataegus'' series ''Aestivales''Phipps, J.B.; O’Kennon, R.J.; Lance, R.W. 2003. ''Hawthorns and medlars''. Royal Horticultural Society, Cambridge, U.K. that are common in

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s throughout the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. The principal species are '' C. aestivalis'', the eastern mayhaw, and ''C. opaca'', the western mayhaw. Mayhaws grow in moist soil in river and creek bottoms under hardwood trees. The fruit is also found in bayous surrounding lakes, such as Caddo Lake on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

border. The fruit ripens in late April through May, thus the name may-haw. Mayhaws are often collected out of the water from boats, and the fruit is used to make jelly. Families would go on outings to collect mayhaws and create stockpiles of the jelly to last throughout the year, but the tradition has declined with the increasing urbanization of the South and the destruction of the mayhaw's native habitat. The fruit has also been cultivated to grow outside of wetlands, and this is increasingly the source of the jelly.

In culture

Many communities associate themselves with the fruit because of its reputation as a celebrated delicacy of Southern U.S. cuisine. For example, Colquitt, Georgia, holds a mayhaw festival in April. Daisetta, Texas; El Dorado, Arkansas; Marion, Louisiana; and Starks, Louisiana, all celebrate a mayhaw festival each May. The mayhaw is the state fruit tree of Louisiana.

References

External links

* * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q126600472, from2=Q6797256 Crataegus Edible fruits Cuisine of the Southern United States Jams and jellies