Hawthorn hedge near Great Hinton

Image: © Maigheach-gheal Taken: 27 Jul 2009

Said to bring bad luck should the May blossom be brought indoors, It has spines, red berries in autumn and an irregularly shaped leaf, which may have brown aphid galls causing discolouration. Flowers and fruit are used as an infusion to treat circulatory problems, particularly blood pressure. The fresh young leaves were eaten in times of hardship and acquired the name, “Bread and Cheese”. In Irish folklore the hawthorn, or whitethorn, is also sometimes referred to as the fairy bush, and it was considered bad luck to cut it in fear of offending the fairies that inhabit the tree. However, during the May Day celebrations the collecting of the sprigs and flowers was allowed for use in the festivities, after which they were place in the home to banish all evil influences. In Teutonic lore, the hawthorn had an entirely different meaning, to them the hawthorn was a symbol of death and its wood was used for funeral pyres.

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