This tree is commonly used for screening where the thorns are not a liability. The foliage is glossy through the growing season. The tree is as wide as it is tall. Cockspur Hawthorn Leaves are short-petioled, not lobed, and obovate, or spatulate, in outline. Leaf tips are usually rounded with finely toothed margins.
Leaves are usually somewhat clustered at the end of the twigs and borne erect.
The leathery foliage is among the most attractive of all hawthorns. Fall color can be gold to scarlet, but is often not showy. Thorns are numerous, falcate, and borne on rigid twigs. The points of the thorns point downward. Twigs are reddish-brown when young, becoming gray with age.