Abstract
C. monogyna is a widely distributed (Meusel et al., 1965), thorny shrub or small tree (up to 10 m high). It is an exceptionally variable species in all its morphological features, particularly in size and shape of leaves, resulting in a high number of forms described from various parts of its range (Browicz, 1986). Common hawthorn is native to most of Europe (excluding its northeastern part) and to some places on the Mediterranean seashore. In Asia it grows naturally in Anatolia (excluding the central and northeastern regions), in northwestern Caucasus, northeastern Iraq, northern Iran, western Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel (Boratynski, 1986). C. monogyna is generally regarded as lowland species, however it has been reported from Cyprus at 1525 m in altitude, Albania and Lebanon (1600 m), Macedonia (1630 m), Greece (1650 m) and Anatolia (up to 2200 m in altitude).