Mexican hawthorn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mexican hawthorn |
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C. stipulacea Lodd., nom. nud. |
The Mexican hawthorn, also known as tejocote (say: teh-ho-CO-tay), is a special type of hawthorn tree. It is native to the mountains of Mexico and parts of Guatemala. People have also started growing it in the Andes mountains. The fruit of this tree is very useful and popular, especially in Mexico.
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What's in a Name?
The name tejocote comes from the ancient Nahuatl language of Mexico. It means 'stone fruit,' because of the hard seeds inside. Another Spanish name, manzanita, means 'little apple'. The scientific name, Crataegus, comes from old Greek words. These words mean 'strong' and 'sharp'. This refers to the tree's tough wood and its thorny branches.
What Does it Look Like?
The Mexican hawthorn is a large bush or a small tree. It usually grows to be about 5 to 10 meters (16 to 33 feet) tall. It has a thick, full crown of branches.
Its leaves are oval-shaped and stay green for most of the year. They are about 4 to 8 centimeters (1.5 to 3 inches) long. The edges of the leaves look like tiny saw teeth.
The flowers are a creamy white color and about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) wide. The fruit is round or slightly oval, about 2 centimeters long. It turns orange-red when it's ripe. The fruit ripens in late winter, just before the new flowers appear.
How People Use Tejocote
The fruit of the Mexican hawthorn is very popular in Mexico. People eat it cooked, raw, or even canned. It looks a bit like a small crabapple. However, it has three or more hard, brown seeds inside.
Food and Drinks
Tejocote is a main ingredient in ponche. This is a warm, traditional Mexican fruit punch. It is often served during Christmas and on New Year's Eve.
A sweet and spicy candy called rielitos is also made from tejocote. It's a mix of tejocote paste, sugar, and chili powder. The candy looks like tiny train tracks.
Day of the Dead
During the Day of the Dead celebrations, tejocote fruit is used in special ways. People use the fresh fruit and candies made from it as offerings to remember loved ones. Rosaries, which are strings of beads, are also made from the fruit to decorate altars.
Other Uses
Because tejocote fruit has a lot of pectin, it's used to make pectin for many things. Pectin is a natural thickener used in food, makeup, medicines, and even fabrics.
The leaves and fruits of the tree are also used as food for farm animals. In traditional medicine, a drink made from the roots is used to help with diarrhea. Preparations made from the fruit can help with coughs and some heart problems.
The wood of the Mexican hawthorn tree is very strong and solid. This makes it useful for making tool handles and for burning as firewood.
Importing Tejocote
It has been legal to bring tejocote fruit into the U.S. from Mexico since 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Tejocote para niños
