While some sources claim it is the state flower of Missouri,[4] the actual legislation does not identify an exact species.

[5] Furthermore, the Missouri Department of Conservation asserts the Crataegus mollis was specifically designated as the state flower.

[6] Although many North American hawthorns are polyploid and reproduce by apomixis, this species is apparently diploid and sexual, at least throughout Ontario, Canada.

[7] The name white haw refers to its distinctive pale (grey) bark, which is particularly noticeable in the winter landscape.

The flower has three to five styles and approximately 20 stamens, and the fruit is a pome-type polypyrenous drupe which contains three to five pits.