Protologue Description: Crataegus fusca, n. sp. Leaves ovate, acuminate, rounded, cuneate or almost truncate at the broad entire base, sharply often doubly serrate above, with straight glandular teeth, and divided into 4-6 pairs of narrow acuminate spreading lobes, nearly one-third grown when the flowers open about the 1st of June and then thin, yellow-green slightly tinged with red, and glabrous with the exception of a few scattered pale caducous hairs above and pale and glabrous below, and at maturity thin, bluish-green and lustrous on the upper and lower surface, 4.5-7 cm. longand 4-4.5 cm. wide, with slender yellow midribs, and thin primary veins arching obliquely to the points of the lobes; petioles slender, slightly wing-margined at the apex, occasionally sparingly glandular, 2-3.5 cm. in length; leaves on vigorous shoots rounded or sometimes cordate at the base, coarsely serrate and more deeply lobed, with stout wing-margined glandular rose-colored petioles. Flowers about 2 cm. in diameter, on short slender glabrous pedicels, in usualy 4-7 flowered corymbs, with linear acuminate glandular rose colored bracts and bractlets mostly deciduous before the flowers open; calyx-tube broadly obconic, the lobes short, gradually narrowed, acuminate, minutely glandular on the margins, glabrous, reflexed after anthesis; stamens 20; anthers pale pink; styles 4 or 5. Fruit ripening the middle of October, on short stout erect pedicels, in few fruited clusters, short-oblong, full and rounded at the apex, slightly narrowed at the base, dull brown, pruinose, 1-1.2 cm. in diameter; calyx prominent with a short tube, a broad deep cavity and spreading and reflexed lobes dark red on the upper side below the middle; flesh thin, yellow-green, dry and mealy; nutlets usually 4 or 5, broad and rounded at the base, gradually narrowed and rounded at the apex, ridged on the back, with a high narrow ridge, light colored, 7-8 mm. long and 4.5 mm. wide.
A tree with a short trunk and spreading branches forming a round-topped head, and slender nearly straight branchlets marked by oblong pale lenticels, orange-green more or less tinged with red when they first appear, bright-chesnut brown and lustrous during their first year and light gray tinged with red the following season, and armed with slender slightly curved purplish shining spines 4-5 cm. long.
Pastures near Burlington, Vermont, W.W. Eggleston (nos. 2282, 2346, 2874 type!), September and October 1901, May and June 1902, June 1903.

Anthers rose color.
Stamens 15-20.