Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: thornless hawthorn?, 1 by Pistil

Pistil wrote:
My friend likes a tree by the gym. He is sadly spending this weekend felling all the big trees by his house. I offered to identify the tree, with the thought of getting them one as a Christmas present. It looked like a hawthorn but seemed to have no thorns. It is only about 10-12 feet tall but does not look mature. I just spent an hour investigating, and found out there are indeed some thornless hawthorns. Crataegus laevigata 'Crimson Cloud' looks very pretty in pictures. But C. x lavallei is on the "Great Plant Picks" list for Seattle. The photos I have seen of it do not show thorns. No thorns will be allowed. Does anyone have any advice about these or other varieties?