ID: 002

To ID from the key:

1 Alternate

35 Spines present

36 No hairs

37 Pale bark, buds usually at base of spines

= HAWTHORN

Name: Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna

Notes:

Comparing against the description by Price and Bersweden (2013): “end of multiple scars – ‘pile of pancakes'" which we can clearly see.

The other big clue in this case is the red berry - which means this is not blackthorn!

Only after using the key/books to identify did I learn that there is another native hawthorn species, Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), which often hybridises and can be difficult to tell apart.