Hawthorn

The generic name comes from the Greek kratos, meaning "strength," in allusion to the hardness of the wood, which was widely used to manufacture levers, handles and tool handles and other items of its kind.

"Hawthorn" comes from the Old French "Aubespin," which was taken from the popular Latin-alb iSpin, itself borrowed from classical Latin spina alba, that is to say, "hawthorn", as opposed to "blackthorn" , spina nigra, that is to say, the blackthorn, thorny plant of the same family, also used in medicine.

It is believed that "haw" comes from the popular Latin acinella of acinus "grape", "glitch". In Quebec, "haw" became "Senelle", and hawthorn (the tree) has become a "senellier." It is also called the result "pear pigs", probably because he served food to the pigs of the order Artiodactyla.

- Well, okay. "Swine", from Latin am "pork" and "Artiodactyla", the Greek artios "peer" and daktulos "finger", that is to say that the number of fingers is even.

Its role in the ecological balance

"It seems that the great development of its kind in America is the immediate result of the breach of ecological balance brought about by land clearing," wrote Jules Brunel in the Laurentian Flora. Indeed, the hawthorn was virtually absent from America before the arrival of whites, because, to thrive, it needs a lot of light, that our great dense forests and tall could offer. But it seems that the genre known genetic an explosion in our climate, with the result that four fifths of the species, are now on this side of the Atlantic.