✵The article documents the herb Hawthorn Fruit—including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and botanical sources—namely two plant species: (1) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br. and (2) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. It provides a detailed description of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the characteristics of the herb Hawthorn Fruit; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Fructus Crataegi (Hawthorn Fruit)
Pinyin Name: Shān Zhā
English Name: Hawthorn Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Crataegi Properties and Flavors: Slightly warm in nature; sour and sweet in taste.
Brief Introduction:Fructus Crataegi is the dried, ripe fruit of either Large Chinese Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br.) or Chinese Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge). It is used to promote digestion and resolve food stagnation—particularly for dyspepsia and stagnation due to fatty foods—and to invigorate blood circulation for treating amenorrhea and postpartum abdominal pain caused by blood stasis. Commonly known as Fructus Crataegi, Hawthorn Fruit, or Shān Zhā.
Botanical source: Classical herbal texts define Shan Zha (Hawthorn Fruit) as the dried, ripe fruit of plants belonging to the genus Crataegus (family Rosaceae). The two primary species are: (1) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br. and (2) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br.
Botanical Description: This deciduous tree belongs to the Rosaceae family and the genus Crataegus. It is commonly known as Mountain Red, mountain hawthorn, or Shān Lǐ Hóng ("red tree on the mountain"). It grows up to 6 meters tall. Young shoots bear thorns 1–2 cm long, though some individuals are acanthoid (thornless). Leaves are alternate and simple; petioles measure 2–6 cm; leaf blades are broadly ovate or triangular-ovate (rarely rhomboid-ovate), 6–12 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, with 2–4 pairs of pinnately arranged lobes; the apex is acuminate, the base is broadly cuneate; the upper surface is glossy, while the lower surface is pubescent along the veins; margins are irregularly biserrate.
Inflorescences are corymbs (corymbals), approximately 4–6 cm in diameter. The hypanthium (calyx tube) is campanulate (bell-shaped) and 5-dentate. The corolla is white, ~1.5 cm in diameter, with five obovate or orbicular (subrotund) petals. There are about 20 stamens; anthers are pink. A single pistil is present; the ovary is inferior, 5-locular, with five styles.
The fruit is a pome, nearly spherical, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, crimson (deep red), bearing yellowish-white speckles. Sepals persist late, leaving a round, deep depression at the apical end. It contains three to five small pyrenes (stones); the outer surface is slightly angled, while the two lateral surfaces are smooth. Flowering occurs from May to June; fruiting from August to October.
Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br. is a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family, reaching 6–8 meters in height. It serves both as a fruit tree and an ornamental plant. Leaves are alternate, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, with margins pinnately lobed (5–9 lobes), serrated, and pubescent along the veins. Inflorescences are corymbs bearing 10–12 flowers; corollas are white or pink. Flowering occurs in May; fruiting, from August to October. Fruits are pyriform (pear-shaped) or subsphaeroidal (nearly spherical), ~2 cm in diameter, with a dark red exocarp and light brown speckles.
Mountain Red is a renowned fruit tree in China, with over 3,000 years of cultivation history. Owing to its strong environmental adaptability, it suffers few pests and diseases and requires minimal management—hence its widespread cultivation across the country, especially in northern regions.
Mountain Red is cold-tolerant and highly vigorous, beginning to bear fruit 4–5 years after planting. It produces abundant small fruits—spherical or pyriform—with thick, bright red exocarps that vividly color green hillsides—a striking natural spectacle. The fruit is also commonly called hawthorn.
Ecological Environment: Grows in valleys and shrublands at elevations of 100–1,500 meters above sea level.
Growth Characteristics: Tolerant of cold and wind, it thrives on flatlands, hillsides, and mountain slopes. Sandy loam soil is optimal; growth is poor in heavy clay soils.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subsphaeroidal (near-spherical), 1–2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is scarlet (bright red) to prunus (violet-red), glossy, covered with ash-gray (grayish-white) spots, with a persistent calyx at the apex and a carpopodium residue at the base. Commercial samples of the herb are often processed into longitudinal slices or transverse slices, 2–8 mm thick; these slices are often curled and shriveled, with uneven surfaces. The pulp is thick, dark yellow to hazel (light brown), and 3–5 pale yellow seeds are visible on the cut surface; some seeds may have detached. The texture of the herb is firm and hard. It has a faint, delicate fragrance and tastes sour with a slight sweetness.
(2) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge
Botanical Description:Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge is a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family (rose family) and the genus Crataegus. It is commonly known as hawthorn or Shan Zha. This species is very similar to Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N. E. Brown. It grows up to 6 m tall; the bark is coarse and rough, dull gray (dark gray) or taupe (grayish brown); thorns are 1–2 cm long, sometimes absent; branchlets are cylindrical; one-year-old branches are puce (purple-brown), glabrous or nearly glabrous, sparsely lenticellate; older branches are taupe (grayish brown); winter buds are triangular-ovate, blunt at the apex, glabrous, and purple.
Leaf blades are broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, rarely rhomboid-ovate, 5–10 cm long and 4–7.5 cm wide; the apex is short-acuminate; the base is truncate to broadly cuneate; usually both sides bear 3–5 pinnae; lobes are ovate-lanceolate or strap-shaped, with short-acuminate apices; margins are sharply and sparsely irregularly biserrate; the upper surface is sap-green (dark green) and glossy; the lower surface bears sparse pubescence along the veins or beard-like hairs in the axils; lateral veins occur in 6–10 pairs—some extend to the lobe apices, others to the sinuses between lobes; petioles are 2–6 cm long and glabrous; stipules (peraphylla) are herbaceous, sickle-shaped, and serrate along the margins.
Corymbs are many-flowered, 4–6 cm in diameter; peduncles and pedicels are pubescent and caducous after flowering, reduced; pedicels are 4–7 mm long; bracts are membranaceous, linear-lanceolate, approximately 6–8 mm long, acuminate at the apex, glandular-serrate along the margins, and caducous; flowers are ~1.5 cm in diameter; the hypanthium (calyx tube) is campanulate (bell-shaped), 4–5 mm long, densely pilose with ash-gray (grayish-white) hairs externally; sepals are triangular-ovate to lanceolate, gradually acuminate at the apex, entire, approximately equal in length to the hypanthium, glabrous on both surfaces—or with beard-like hairs only at the tips of the inner surface; petals are obovate or orbicular (subrotund), 7–8 mm long and 5–6 mm wide, white; stamens number 20, shorter than the petals, with pink anthers; styles number 3–5, pubescent at the base, with capitate stigmas.
Fruits are subsphaeroidal (near-spherical) or pyriform (pear-shaped), 1–1.5 cm in diameter, dark red, bearing light-colored spots; 3–5 stones (pyrenes), externally slightly ridged, with smooth inner surfaces on both sides; sepals persist late and leave a deep, circular depression at the apex. Flowering occurs from May to June; fruiting from September to October.
Ecological Environment: The tree grows in valleys, forest edges on hillsides or mountain slopes, and thickets, at altitudes of 100–1,500 m above sea level.
Growth Characteristics: The tree thrives in forest edges or thickets at altitudes of 100–1,500 m above sea level. It exhibits strong adaptability: it prefers cool, moist environments; is tolerant of both cold and heat, surviving temperatures from −36 °C to 43 °C (−32.8 °F to 109.4 °F); prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade; generally grows on barren or rocky mountains, sunny hillsides and slopes, and valleys; optimal slope gradient is 15–25°; it is drought-tolerant, but excess water promotes excessive vegetative growth; soil requirements are not strict, though it grows best in deep, fertile, loose, subacid sandy loam with good drainage.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subsphaeroidal (near-spherical), 1–1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is dark red with small spots; a persistent calyx is present at the apex, and a slender, elongated carpopodium (fruit stalk) remains at the base. The texture is hard. It has a faint, delicate fragrance and tastes sour with a slight sweetness—or slightly astringent.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Promoting digestion and lipid metabolism; (2) Protecting the cardiovascular system; (3) Exerting antioxidant effects; (4) Enhancing immune function; (5) Exhibiting antimicrobial activity: Hawthorn fruit demonstrates strong antibacterial activity against Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella sonnei; it also shows antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus anthracis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others. Its antibacterial effect is generally stronger against Gram-positive bacteria than against Gram-negative bacteria.
Medicinal Efficacy: Invigorating the spleen and stomach, promoting digestion, relieving food stagnation, regulating Qi circulation and activating blood to resolve stasis, dispelling turbidity and reducing lipid accumulation. It is indicated for dyspepsia and indigestion—especially of meat or other rich foods—gastric distension and fullness, epigastric distending pain, diarrhea and dysentery with abdominal pain, blood stasis–induced amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis (e.g., postmenstrual abdominal pain), postpartum blood stasis obstruction, postpartum abdominal pain, lochiorrhagia, stabbing pain in the chest or abdomen, chest oppression and cardialgia (thoracic obstruction, angina-like pain), hernial colic, hyperlipidemia (excess lipids in the blood). It is also used for abdominal masses, phlegm-damp retention, distension and fullness, acid regurgitation, hemorrhoidal bleeding, lumbago (low back pain), and infantile feeding stagnation.
Administration of Fructus Crataegi (Shān Zhā):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Fructus Crataegi (Shān Zhā)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 9–12 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 2–4 qián (≈6–12 grams); or prepared as pills or powder. External use: wash affected area with decoction or apply mashed herb topically; (3) Internally:water decoction, 3–10 grams; or prepared as pills or powder. External use: appropriate amount—wash with decoction or apply mashed herb topically.
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Fructus Crataegi is not recommended for individuals with dental caries (tooth decay). Concurrent use with Panax ginseng should be avoided.
Pinyin Name: Jiāo Shān Zhā
English Name: Charred Hawthorn Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Crataegi Preparatus Properties and Flavors: Slightly warm; sour and sweet.
Brief Introduction:Fructus Crataegi Preparatus is hawthorn fruit stir-baked until browned, used to strengthen digestion and resolve food stagnation—particularly for dyspepsia and stagnation due to fatty or greasy foods. It is commonly known as Fructus Crataegi Preparatus, Charred Hawthorn Fruit, or Jiāo Shān Zhā.
Common official herbal classics and authoritative monographs define Fructus Crataegi Preparatus (Charred Hawthorn Fruit) as hawthorn fruit processed by stir-baking until brown. The botanical origin of hawthorn fruit was described in the preceding entry "Fructus Crataegi (Hawthorn Fruit)".
Medicinal Efficacy:Fructus Crataegi Preparatus enhances digestion and resolves food stagnation. It is indicated for retention of meat in the stomach and constipation due to food accumulation.
Administration of Fructus Crataegi (Shān Zhā):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Fructus Crataegi (Shān Zhā)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 9–12 grams; (2) Internally:water decoction, 2–4 qián (≈6–12 grams); or prepared as pills or powder. External use: wash affected area with decoction or apply mashed herb topically; (3) Internally:water decoction, 3–10 grams; or prepared as pills or powder. External use: appropriate amount—wash with decoction or apply mashed herb topically.
✵The article documents the herb Hawthorn Fruit—including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and botanical sources—namely two plant species: (1) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br. and (2) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. It provides a detailed description of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the characteristics of the herb Hawthorn Fruit; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Shān Zhā
Botanical Description: This deciduous tree belongs to the Rosaceae family and the genus Crataegus. It is commonly known as Mountain Red, mountain hawthorn, or Shān Lǐ Hóng ("red tree on the mountain"). It grows up to 6 meters tall. Young shoots bear thorns 1–2 cm long, though some individuals are acanthoid (thornless). Leaves are alternate and simple; petioles measure 2–6 cm; leaf blades are broadly ovate or triangular-ovate (rarely rhomboid-ovate), 6–12 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, with 2–4 pairs of pinnately arranged lobes; the apex is acuminate, the base is broadly cuneate; the upper surface is glossy, while the lower surface is pubescent along the veins; margins are irregularly biserrate.
Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N.E. Br. is a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family, reaching 6–8 meters in height. It serves both as a fruit tree and an ornamental plant. Leaves are alternate, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, with margins pinnately lobed (5–9 lobes), serrated, and pubescent along the veins. Inflorescences are corymbs bearing 10–12 flowers; corollas are white or pink. Flowering occurs in May; fruiting, from August to October. Fruits are pyriform (pear-shaped) or subsphaeroidal (nearly spherical), ~2 cm in diameter, with a dark red exocarp and light brown speckles.
Mountain Red is cold-tolerant and highly vigorous, beginning to bear fruit 4–5 years after planting. It produces abundant small fruits—spherical or pyriform—with thick, bright red exocarps that vividly color green hillsides—a striking natural spectacle. The fruit is also commonly called hawthorn.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subsphaeroidal (near-spherical), 1–2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is scarlet (bright red) to prunus (violet-red), glossy, covered with ash-gray (grayish-white) spots, with a persistent calyx at the apex and a carpopodium residue at the base. Commercial samples of the herb are often processed into longitudinal slices or transverse slices, 2–8 mm thick; these slices are often curled and shriveled, with uneven surfaces. The pulp is thick, dark yellow to hazel (light brown), and 3–5 pale yellow seeds are visible on the cut surface; some seeds may have detached. The texture of the herb is firm and hard. It has a faint, delicate fragrance and tastes sour with a slight sweetness.
Botanical Description: Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge is a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family (rose family) and the genus Crataegus. It is commonly known as hawthorn or Shan Zha. This species is very similar to Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. major N. E. Brown. It grows up to 6 m tall; the bark is coarse and rough, dull gray (dark gray) or taupe (grayish brown); thorns are 1–2 cm long, sometimes absent; branchlets are cylindrical; one-year-old branches are puce (purple-brown), glabrous or nearly glabrous, sparsely lenticellate; older branches are taupe (grayish brown); winter buds are triangular-ovate, blunt at the apex, glabrous, and purple.
Leaf blades are broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, rarely rhomboid-ovate, 5–10 cm long and 4–7.5 cm wide; the apex is short-acuminate; the base is truncate to broadly cuneate; usually both sides bear 3–5 pinnae; lobes are ovate-lanceolate or strap-shaped, with short-acuminate apices; margins are sharply and sparsely irregularly biserrate; the upper surface is sap-green (dark green) and glossy; the lower surface bears sparse pubescence along the veins or beard-like hairs in the axils; lateral veins occur in 6–10 pairs—some extend to the lobe apices, others to the sinuses between lobes; petioles are 2–6 cm long and glabrous; stipules (peraphylla) are herbaceous, sickle-shaped, and serrate along the margins.
Corymbs are many-flowered, 4–6 cm in diameter; peduncles and pedicels are pubescent and caducous after flowering, reduced; pedicels are 4–7 mm long; bracts are membranaceous, linear-lanceolate, approximately 6–8 mm long, acuminate at the apex, glandular-serrate along the margins, and caducous; flowers are ~1.5 cm in diameter; the hypanthium (calyx tube) is campanulate (bell-shaped), 4–5 mm long, densely pilose with ash-gray (grayish-white) hairs externally; sepals are triangular-ovate to lanceolate, gradually acuminate at the apex, entire, approximately equal in length to the hypanthium, glabrous on both surfaces—or with beard-like hairs only at the tips of the inner surface; petals are obovate or orbicular (subrotund), 7–8 mm long and 5–6 mm wide, white; stamens number 20, shorter than the petals, with pink anthers; styles number 3–5, pubescent at the base, with capitate stigmas.
Fruits are subsphaeroidal (near-spherical) or pyriform (pear-shaped), 1–1.5 cm in diameter, dark red, bearing light-colored spots; 3–5 stones (pyrenes), externally slightly ridged, with smooth inner surfaces on both sides; sepals persist late and leave a deep, circular depression at the apex. Flowering occurs from May to June; fruiting from September to October.
Growth Characteristics: The tree thrives in forest edges or thickets at altitudes of 100–1,500 m above sea level. It exhibits strong adaptability: it prefers cool, moist environments; is tolerant of both cold and heat, surviving temperatures from −36 °C to 43 °C (−32.8 °F to 109.4 °F); prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade; generally grows on barren or rocky mountains, sunny hillsides and slopes, and valleys; optimal slope gradient is 15–25°; it is drought-tolerant, but excess water promotes excessive vegetative growth; soil requirements are not strict, though it grows best in deep, fertile, loose, subacid sandy loam with good drainage.
Pinyin Name: Jiāo Shān Zhā
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