Origins of the Word “Haw”

Today, the term “haw” refers specifically to the red pome (i.e., the indehiscent fruit containing multiple seeds) of the hawthorn (Crataegus species). However, the common name “hawthorn” is derived from the Old English word “haga,” meaning hedge. The common names of possumhaw (Ilex decidua), blackhaw (Viburnum rafinesquianum), rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), and possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudifolium) likely originate from the superficial similarity between hawthorn pomes and the drupes (fleshy, indehiscent fruit with one seed) of Viburnum and Ilex. The associated descriptors (e.g., “black” in blackhaw or “possum” in possumhaw) likely describe characteristics of the fruit, i.e., the black color of the drupe or the penchant for opossums to eat possumhaw drupes. I would like to be able to provide you with the words for berries or individual plant species in the native Tutelo language of our region (Piedmont of North Carolina). However, by 1913 the language was nearly extinct and relatively few words are recorded, such as “walu’t” meaning so eat.. Instead, I can provide you with the names given to these plants by the Cherokee people, who currently live in Western North Carolina. The Cherokee word for berry is pronounced “u-da-ta-nv-hi”