"Linden" is a common toponym, applied around the world to many localities where linden trees grow. "Hawtree" is rather rare; surely it refers to the hawthorn, a populous genus of trees and shrubs found in the northern hemisphere.
I didn't attempt to follow the road as far south as Howard Beach, where Hawtree Basin accepts the ebb and flow from Jamaica Bay, and I don't know what flora survives there. But I'd like to imagine that in times past, hawthorns stood along the creek, and their small fruits were harvested and preserved as they still are in the South.
Hawtree Creek Road
Sign at the corner of Linden Blvd., Ozone Park, Queens
Hawthorne grows in NYC. After a "Wildman" Steve Brill foraging tour (Wildmanstevebrill.com), I've learned to find them hanging from trees in Prospect Park, especially near the Boathouse there. As a candy I find they're like cherry with hints of apple; fresh, they're like apple with hints of cherry.
Posted by: Josh Karpf | May 08, 2010 at 08:33 AM
Do you know when the berries ripen at this latitude? September?
Posted by: Dave Cook | May 09, 2010 at 12:11 AM
August or September, yes.
Posted by: Josh Karpf | May 09, 2010 at 07:09 AM