January is the month when the branches of deciduous trees, now completely leafless, reveal their fractal-like structure, while Mediterranean flora is constantly renewing its foliage. It is the month when a new year begins, inheriting the fruits of the previous one, demonstrating how nature never interrupts its cycles and how the division of time into months, weeks, and days is merely a conventional human construct.
To begin this new year, we will discuss two genera that, though “minor,” help non-hibernating mammals and sedentary or wintering birds survive the winter.
Of the Sharp-leaved Asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius), a member of the Asparagaceae family, we are well acquainted with the young shoots (turions) we gather in spring while strolling through uncultivated fields and areas recently (alas) burned, to make omelettes and tasty side dishes. Those that survive our gluttony develop into woody, rigid, arching, ascending stems, from which grow leaves reduced to tiny, spurred, membranous scales, spiny at the base of the stems, replaced in their chlorophyll function by cladodes (transformed twigs) that develop in their axils. The axils of the cladodes host small yellow-green or greenish-white flowers, solitary or paired, and only apparently hermaphroditic, as they display both female and male reproductive organs but behave as unisexual: the female flowers are characterized by short stamens with sterile anthers (staminodes) that do not produce pollen, while the male flowers have an abortive gynoecium, significantly smaller in relation to the tepals, and do not produce fruit. The fruit, which contains 1-3 seeds, is a spherical berry about 5-6 mm in diameter, green, and almost black when ripe. Asparagus is one of those plants with a particular underground stem, the rhizome, which emits adventitious roots and stems every year.
This insect-pollinated species is a suffrutex, meaning its stem is woody at the base and herbaceous above. It is typically a Mediterranean species, rarely exceeding 2 meters in height, and found throughout most of Italy up to 1,300 meters above sea level. It is especially common in central and southern Italy but more sporadic in the north.
Among the Asparagus genus, we also want to mention Mayflower (Asparagus albus), also from the Asparagaceae family. It is a perennial with woody stems that regenerate in spring with tender, green, erect shoots, which are also edible. From the supple or zigzagging grayish-white stems emerge whitish, cylindrical, erect, or reflexed branches bearing leaves transformed into sturdy thorns, from whose axils arise cladodes and flowers.
In this species, unlike the previous one, the flowers are hermaphroditic and, like the previous species, rely on insect pollination.
The fruit is a globose berry approximately 5 mm in diameter, initially green, then turning reddish and black at maturity. White asparagus is found in the western Mediterranean basin, from Liguria to Spain and Algeria.
The second genus that brightens the darkest winter days with the red of its fruits is Crataegus, from the Rosaceae family.
The first species we will focus on in this article is the wild Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata). This extensively studied species has several synonyms, such as Mespilus laevigata, Crataegus oxyacantha, and Crataegus oxyacanthoides. It is a woody plant with a bushy habit, often branching from the base, which over time can grow into a small tree with a fasciculated root system, a globose or elongated crown, and deciduous foliage. The sinuous trunk, with compact bark, divides into reddish-brown branches bearing abundant, sharp spines measuring 6–15 mm. The alternate leaves are simple, elliptical or obovate, cuneate at the base, with one or two shallow triangular lobes on each side and regularly serrated edges.
The inflorescences are arranged in erect apical corymbs, composed of 5-10 hermaphroditic flowers with five white petals measuring 1.2-1.5 cm. They have numerous stamens with red anthers and two or three styles. The fruits (actually false fruits because they develop from the growth of the floral receptacle rather than the ovary) are clustered. They are small, ellipsoidal, red, glabrous pomes, 8-10 mm in diameter, containing two or three yellow-brown, hard seeds.
Midland hawthorn prefers mild temperatures but also tolerates winter cold well. It grows on the edges of broadleaf forests and shrublands, from the plains up to 1,400 meters above sea level, regardless of soil type.
An excellent spring edible mushroom, Calocybe gambosa, commonly known as St. George’s mushroom, grows among the hawthorn bushes.
Hawthorn seeds have been found at Neolithic sites suggesting that our ancestors used them as food. Today, because it is a hardy plant that adapts to any type of soil, and because of its beauty during both the flowering and fruiting periods, it is used as an ornamental plant along with other related species.
In Greek and Roman cultures, hawthorn was a highly symbolic plant, associated with hope, marriage, and fertility. Greek bridesmaids adorned themselves with hawthorn buds, and brides held a sprig in their hands. The Romans placed the leaves in their children’s cradles to ward off evil spirits.
In Great Britain, hawthorn flowers bloom in May, which is why the plant is called Mayflower in English, named after the ship that carried the Pilgrim Fathers to America.
Very similar to this species is the Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), which differs in its more deeply lobed leaves with sharp lobes, the presence of a single seed in the fruit, and its habitat. In fact, the Common hawthorn prefers neutral or alkaline soils and open environments, while the wild hawthorn prefers acidic or subacidic soils and is often found in shady woodlands.
Also belonging to the Crataegus genus is the Azarole (Crataegus azarolus), a species commonly believed to originate from Asia Minor or the island of Crete, which spread through cultivation throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. However, some authors suggest that the spontaneous forms present in our territory are due not only to secondary wilding from seed dispersal by birds but also to an ancient and much broader natural distribution than previously thought.
This species of the Rosaceae family, found on hillsides up to 1,000 m above sea level, has been classified under different names: Mespilus azarolus, Pyrus azarolus, Oxyacantha azarolus, and Crataegus oxyacantha, possibly due to the diversity of forms between cultivated and wild plants.
The wild Azarole is currently very rare in Italy and at risk of extinction. It was once planted in rows along roads leading to country homes and farms. Azaroles, resembling small apples and with a flavor similar to that of apples or medlars, were commercially available in various parts of Italy until the last century. They can still be found for sale today at local markets and produce shops in some cities.
The wild Azarole is currently very rare in Italy and at risk of extinction. It was once planted in rows along roads leading to country homes and farms. Azaroles, similar to small apples and with a flavor comparable to that of apples or medlars, were commercially available in various parts of Italy until the last century. They can still be found for sale today at local markets and in produce shops in some cities.
Credits
Author: Anna Lacci is a science communicator and expert in environmental education, sustainability, and place-based teaching. She is the author of documentaries, nature books, workbooks, interdisciplinary teaching resources, and multimedia informational materials.
Translated by Maria Antonietta Sessa
