HawthornAndrew Skotnicki, CC BY 4.0
Hawthorn
RowanMark Partington, CC BY 4.0
Rowan
Lookalikes

Hawthorn or rowan?

Both hang white flowers in flat heads and red fruit in autumn.

The quickest check

The quickest check is the whole leaf. Hawthorn: one small leaf cut into three to seven lobes. Rowan: feathered into 13 to 15 toothed leaflets. No leaves on the tree? Check the trunk.

At a glance

Look atHawthornRowan
Whole leafOne small leaf cut into three to seven lobesFeathered into 13 to 15 toothed leaflets
TrunkBrown, shallow scaly ridges, often spirallingSmooth silvery grey, crossed by short dark dashes
How the fruit hangsRed haws in loose bunchesDozens of scarlet berries in a flat head
Bare shootSharp thorns 1 to 2 cm, a bud beside eachFat purple buds edged with grey hairs

Four ways to tell them apart

Whole leafLeaves
Hawthorn: whole leaf
HawthornOne small leaf cut into three to seven lobes
Rowan: whole leaf呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), CC BY 4.0
RowanFeathered into 13 to 15 toothed leaflets
TrunkBark
Hawthorn: trunkNick Butcher, CC BY 4.0
HawthornBrown, shallow scaly ridges, often spiralling
Rowan: trunkanguspritchard, CC BY 4.0
RowanSmooth silvery grey, crossed by short dark dashes
How the fruit hangsHaws
Hawthorn: how the fruit hangsHenry Miller, CC BY 4.0
HawthornRed haws in loose bunches
Rowan: how the fruit hangsDavid Ashcroft, CC BY 4.0
RowanDozens of scarlet berries in a flat head
Bare shootTwigs and buds
Hawthorn: bare shootShawn O'Donnell, CC BY 4.0
HawthornSharp thorns 1 to 2 cm, a bud beside each
Rowan: bare shootanguspritchard, CC BY 4.0
RowanFat purple buds edged with grey hairs
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

Hawthorn is a dense, thorny shrub or small tree with little, deeply lobed leaves. It is white with blossom from early May and red with haws in autumn.

How to identify hawthorn →

Rowan

Sorbus aucuparia

Rowan is a small, open tree with smooth silvery grey bark and feathered leaves of 13 to 15 toothed leaflets. From August it carries flat heads of scarlet berries.

How to identify rowan →

Their other lookalikes

HawthornAppleHawthorn or apple?Quickest check: the outlineHawthornBlackthornHawthorn or blackthorn?Quickest check: the flowers and leaves, and whenHawthornCommon whitebeamHawthorn or common whitebeam?Quickest check: the outlineHawthornCrab appleHawthorn or crab apple?Quickest check: the outline of a leafHawthornField mapleHawthorn or field maple?Quickest check: the bare shootHawthornMidland hawthornHawthorn or Midland hawthorn?Quickest check: the depth of the lobesHawthornPearHawthorn or pear?Quickest check: the outline of a leafRowanCommon whitebeamRowan or common whitebeam?Quickest check: the blades on one stalkRowanFalse acaciaRowan or false acacia?Quickest check: the leaflet edgeRowanHoney locustRowan or honey locust?Quickest check: the leaflet edge
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
App StoreGoogle Play

Free to download.

Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Andrew Skotnicki (CC BY 4.0), Mark Partington (CC BY 4.0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi) (CC BY 4.0), Nick Butcher (CC BY 4.0), anguspritchard (CC BY 4.0), Henry Miller (CC BY 4.0), David Ashcroft (CC BY 4.0), Shawn O'Donnell (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.