A. W. Chapman's determination in 1897 -Crataegus tomentosa L. var microcarpa Chapman ;
C.D. Beadle renamed it to - Crataegus tomentosa chapmani Beadle in 1898.
W.W. Ashe renamed it to Crataegus chapmani (Beadle) Ashe and it was accepted in 1899.
E.J. Palmer renamed it to Crataegus calpodendron var. microcarpa (Chapm) E.J.Palmer in 1946.

Common name: Chapman's Hawthorn
Family: Rosaceae; Rose
Flowering period: April- May
Fruiting period: September
Habitat: Rich soil, river banks

Type locality: Banks of Silver Creek, Floyd County, Georgia
Comments: Crataegus tomentosa L. var microcarpa Chapman was discovered and collected in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia by Alvan W. Chapman (1809-1899) a botanist from Apalachicola Florida. In 1899 it was renamed to Crataegus chapmanii (Beadle) Ashe.

Description: Crataegus tomentosa L. "Leaves large (3' - 5' long), broadly ovate or oval, finely serrate, and slightly lobed above the middle, abruptly narrowed into a short margined petiole, pubescent, especially beneath, the veins straight and impressed; corymbs large, tomentose; styles 1-3; fruit pear shaped, orange-red. - Chiefly northern.
var. microcarpa:
" Leaves broadly ovate, membranaceous, slightly toothed or entire, pubescent beneath, slender-petioled, 3'-6', (5-13 cm) long; flowers 0,5', (1.5 cm) wide; fruit globose, red, 3" (5-7 mm) wide; styles mostly 2. - River banks near Rome, Georgia. Aprill. -A small tree." -Alvan W. Chapman, 1897.

Description 2.: Crataegus tomentosa chapmani Beadle
"- So far I have not seen the typical C. tomentosa in the south, and I agree with Dr. Chapman in recognizing the form with very small fruit as a well marked variety. Near Biltmore, N.C., C. tomentosa Chapmani forms a small tree 4-6 m high, growing usually in rich soil and attaining a trunk diameter of 1 dm or less. The branches are gray, and armed with slender spines; leaves 5-12 cm long (occasionally larger), broadly ovate, prominently veined, sharply serrate and incisely lobed, and form sparingly to densely pubescent beneath: corymbs many-flowered, leafy, bearing glandular, caduceus bracts, and covered when young with fine, pale tomentum, which finally disappears: flowers small, 1-5 cm wide, ill-scented: calyx pubescent, the divisions lanceolate, serrate, acute: fruit sub-globose, 5-7 mm in diameter at maturity, bright red, long persistent.
Originally discovered on the banks of Silver creek, Floyd County, Georgia, by Dr. Chapman, whose name I have used in the new trinomial. The distribution is probably confined to the region of the southern Allegheny mountains." -C.D. Beadle, 1898.

Last updated on March 26, 2012.

References :
1. Chapman, Alvan W. Flora of the southern United States: containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida: arranged according to the natural system 3rd ed. New York: American Book Company, 1897: 385
2. Beadle, Chauncey D. " Notes on the Botany of the Southeastern States. II." Botanical Gazette, Vol. 25, No. 5. (1898) : 360
3. Little, Elbert L. Check List of Native and Naturalized Trees of The United States (Including Alaska) Washington D.C.: Forest Service, 1953.:133
4. Auburn University Herbarium ( http://www.auburn.edu/herbarium/), Department of Biological Sciences Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
5.Palmer, Ernest J. "Crataegus in the Northeastern and Central United States and Adjacent Canada" Brittonia 5.5. (Sep. 6, 1946): pp. 471-490
6. USDA, NRCS. 2007. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2007 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Botanical Explorations in Floyd County
List of Hawthorns from Floyd County, Northwest Georgia, United States
A.W. Chapman collection from Floyd County, Georgia