Malus
Encyclopedia
Malus the apples, are a genus of about 30–35 species of small deciduous
tree
s or shrub
s in the family Rosaceae
. Other studies go as far as 55 species including the domesticated Orchard Apple
, or Table apple as it was formerly called (M. domestica, derived from M. sieversii, syn. M. pumila). The other species and subspecies are generally known as "wild apples", "crab apples", "crabapples" or "crabs".
The genus is native to the temperate
zone of the Northern Hemisphere
, in Europe
, Asia
and North America
.
Apple trees are typically 4–12 m tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The leaves
are 3–10 cm long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The flower
s are borne in corymbs, and have five petal
s, which may be white, pink or red, and are perfect
, with usually red stamens that produce copious pollen
, and a half-inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80 growing degree day
s (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar).
Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by insect
s (typically bee
s, which freely visit the flowers for both nectar and pollen
); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. Malus species, including domestic apples, hybridize freely. Malus species are used as food plants by the larva
e of a large number of Lepidoptera
species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Malus.
The fruit
is a globose pome
, varying in size from 1–4 cm diameter in most of the wild species, to 6 cm in M. sylvestris sieversii, 8 cm in M. sylvestris domestica, and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples; among the largest-fruited cultivars (all of which originate in North America) are 'Wolf River' and 'Stark Jumbo' . The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged star-like, each containing one to two (rarely three) seed
s.
One species, Malus trilobata from southwest Asia
, has three- to seven-lobed leaves (superficially resembling a maple
leaf) and with several structural differences in the fruit; it is often treated in a genus of its own, as Eriolobus trilobatus.
. The fruit of the other species is not an important crop in most areas, being extremely sour and (in some species) woody, and is rarely eaten raw for this reason. In some southeast Asian cultures they are valued as a sour condiment, sometimes eaten with salt and chili pepper, or shrimp paste.
Crabapples are an excellent source of pectin
, and their juice can be made into a ruby-coloured preserve with a full, spicy flavor. A small percentage of crabapples in cider
makes a more interesting flavour. As Old English Wergulu, the crab apple is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm
, recorded in the 10th century.
Crabapples are widely grown as ornamental trees, grown for their beautiful flowers or fruit, with numerous cultivar
s selected for these qualities and for resistance to disease.
Some crabapples are used as rootstocks for domestic apples to add beneficial characteristics. For example, varieties of Baccata, also called Siberian crab, rootstock is used to give additional cold hardiness to the combined plant for orchards in cold northern areas.
They are also used as pollinizers in apple orchard
s. Varieties of crabapple are selected to bloom contemporaneously with the apple variety in an orchard planting, and the crabs are planted every sixth or seventh tree, or limbs of a crab tree are grafted onto some of the apple trees. In emergencies, a bucket or drum bouquet of crabapple flowering branches are placed near the beehives as orchard pollenizers. See also Fruit tree pollination
.
Because of the plentiful blossoms and small fruit, crabapples are popular for use in bonsai
culture; however, because the tiny trees still show the abundant, full-sized fruit of normal crabapples, it is important to thin out the fruit so that the trees do not exhaust themselves.
The Chestnut Crabapple is an exception in that its fruit is sweet tasting. A very hardy plant, the Chestnut Crabapple blooms in early to mid-May and is an excellent pollinator for other fruit apples. It produces a very large crabapple, up to 2" (5 cm) in diameter, that ripens in early September with a pleasant nut-like flavor and good texture for fresh eating. The fruit quality holds well on the tree, being quite spritely at first and becoming sweeter later on, with a medium storage life.
Apple wood gives off a pleasant scent when burned, and smoke from an apple wood fire gives an excellent flavour to smoked foods. It is easier to cut when green; dry apple wood is exceedingly difficult to carve by hand It is a good wood for cooking fires because it burns hot and slow, without producing much flame.
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s in the family Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
. Other studies go as far as 55 species including the domesticated Orchard Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
, or Table apple as it was formerly called (M. domestica, derived from M. sieversii, syn. M. pumila). The other species and subspecies are generally known as "wild apples", "crab apples", "crabapples" or "crabs".
The genus is native to the temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
zone of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Apple trees are typically 4–12 m tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 3–10 cm long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are borne in corymbs, and have five petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s, which may be white, pink or red, and are perfect
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with usually red stamens that produce copious pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
, and a half-inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80 growing degree day
Growing degree day
Growing degree days , also called growing degree units , are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturists, gardeners, and farmers to predict plant and pest development rates such as the date that a flower will bloom or a crop reach...
s (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar).
Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s (typically bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s, which freely visit the flowers for both nectar and pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. Malus species, including domestic apples, hybridize freely. Malus species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of a large number of Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Malus.
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a globose pome
Pome
In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae.A pome is an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue...
, varying in size from 1–4 cm diameter in most of the wild species, to 6 cm in M. sylvestris sieversii, 8 cm in M. sylvestris domestica, and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples; among the largest-fruited cultivars (all of which originate in North America) are 'Wolf River' and 'Stark Jumbo' . The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged star-like, each containing one to two (rarely three) seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s.
One species, Malus trilobata from southwest Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, has three- to seven-lobed leaves (superficially resembling a maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
leaf) and with several structural differences in the fruit; it is often treated in a genus of its own, as Eriolobus trilobatus.
Uses
For Malus sylvestris domestica, see AppleApple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
. The fruit of the other species is not an important crop in most areas, being extremely sour and (in some species) woody, and is rarely eaten raw for this reason. In some southeast Asian cultures they are valued as a sour condiment, sometimes eaten with salt and chili pepper, or shrimp paste.
Crabapples are an excellent source of pectin
Pectin
Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It was first isolated and described in 1825 by Henri Braconnot...
, and their juice can be made into a ruby-coloured preserve with a full, spicy flavor. A small percentage of crabapples in cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
makes a more interesting flavour. As Old English Wergulu, the crab apple is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm
Nine Herbs Charm
The Nine Herbs Charm is an Old English charm recorded in the 10th century Lacnunga manuscript. The charm is intended for treatment of poison and infection through the preparation of nine herbs. The numbers nine and three are mentioned frequently within the charm and are significant numbers in...
, recorded in the 10th century.
Crabapples are widely grown as ornamental trees, grown for their beautiful flowers or fruit, with numerous cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s selected for these qualities and for resistance to disease.
Some crabapples are used as rootstocks for domestic apples to add beneficial characteristics. For example, varieties of Baccata, also called Siberian crab, rootstock is used to give additional cold hardiness to the combined plant for orchards in cold northern areas.
They are also used as pollinizers in apple orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s. Varieties of crabapple are selected to bloom contemporaneously with the apple variety in an orchard planting, and the crabs are planted every sixth or seventh tree, or limbs of a crab tree are grafted onto some of the apple trees. In emergencies, a bucket or drum bouquet of crabapple flowering branches are placed near the beehives as orchard pollenizers. See also Fruit tree pollination
Fruit tree pollination
-Apple:Most Apples are self incompatible and must be cross pollinated. A few are described as "self-fertile" and are capable of self-pollination although they tend to carry larger crops when pollinated. A relatively small number of species are "Triploid", meaning that they provide no viable pollen...
.
Because of the plentiful blossoms and small fruit, crabapples are popular for use in bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
culture; however, because the tiny trees still show the abundant, full-sized fruit of normal crabapples, it is important to thin out the fruit so that the trees do not exhaust themselves.
The Chestnut Crabapple is an exception in that its fruit is sweet tasting. A very hardy plant, the Chestnut Crabapple blooms in early to mid-May and is an excellent pollinator for other fruit apples. It produces a very large crabapple, up to 2" (5 cm) in diameter, that ripens in early September with a pleasant nut-like flavor and good texture for fresh eating. The fruit quality holds well on the tree, being quite spritely at first and becoming sweeter later on, with a medium storage life.
Apple wood gives off a pleasant scent when burned, and smoke from an apple wood fire gives an excellent flavour to smoked foods. It is easier to cut when green; dry apple wood is exceedingly difficult to carve by hand It is a good wood for cooking fires because it burns hot and slow, without producing much flame.
Species
- Malus angustifoliaMalus angustifoliaMalus angustifolia, or Southern crabapple, is a species of crabapple. The fruit is astringent and acidic and is not palatable when raw. The fruit can be use to make jellies, jams and food preserves. The fruits are small and have an aromatic scent and a pear-like shape. It is a tree that is grown as...
— Southern crabapple - Malus asiaticaMalus asiaticaMalus asiatica is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae. It is native to China....
- Malus baccataMalus baccataMalus baccata is a species of apple known by the common names Siberian crabapple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to most of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and for rootstock. It is used for bonsai in Japan...
— Siberian crabapple - Malus bracteataMalus bracteataMalus bracteata is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus brevipesMalus brevipesMalus brevipes, also known as the shrub apple, is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus coronariaMalus coronariaMalus coronaria, also known by the names sweet crabapple or garland crab, is a North American species of Malus . It often is a bushy shrub with rigid, contorted branches, but frequently becomes a small tree with a broad open head. It prefers rich moist soil and is most abundant east of the...
— Sweet crabapple - Malus domesticaAppleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
— Orchard apple - Malus florentinaMalus florentinaMalus florentina is a species of apple known by the common names Florentine crabapple and hawthorn-leaf crabapple. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula and Italy, and it is grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree.-External links:**...
- Malus floribundaMalus floribundaMalus floribunda, or Japanese flowering crabapple, originates from Japan and East Asia. It may be a wild species, or a hybrid of M. sieboldii x M. baccata....
— Japanese crabapple - Malus formosanaMalus formosanaMalus formosana is a species in the genus Malus in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus fuscaMalus fuscaMalus fusca is a species of crabapple. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California, where it grows in coniferous forests. The fruits are small round apple-shaped pomes....
— Oregon crabapple or pacific crabapple - Malus glabrataMalus glabrataMalus glabrata, commonly known as Biltmore's crabapple, is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus glaucescensMalus glaucescensMalus glaucescens, commonly known as Dunbar crabapple, is a species in the genus Malus in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus hallianaMalus hallianaMalus halliana is a species of apple known by the common name Hall crabapple. Its Chinese name is chui si hai tang. It is generally considered to be a native tree of China, but this has been disputed. It is grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree for its abundant, fragrant pink flowers....
- Malus honanensisMalus honanensisMalus honanensis is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus hopaMalus hopaMalus hopa, occasionally known as Flowering Crabapple, is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
— Flowering crabapple - Malus hupehensisMalus hupehensisMalus hupehensis, or tea crabapple, is a species of plant in the Rosaceae family. It is found in Japan and Taiwan.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
— Chinese crabapple - Malus ioensisMalus ioensisMalus ioensis, or the prairie crabapple, is a species of crabapple tree native to the United States. The most common variety, Malus ioensis var. ioensis, is found primarily in the prairie regions of the upper Mississippi Valley. Another variety, Malus ioensis var...
— Prairie crabapple - Malus kansuensisMalus kansuensisMalus kansuensis is a species in the genus Malus in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus lancifoliaMalus lancifoliaMalus lancifolia is a species in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus × micromalusMalus × micromalusMalus × micromalus , is a species in the genus Malus, in the family Rosaceae....
— Midget crabapple - Malus prattiiMalus prattiiMalus prattii is a crabapple species, indigenous to Guangdong, Guizhou, west Sichuan, and northwest Yunnan provinces in China. It grows to 10 meters in height, with flowers 1.5–2 cm in diameter.-References:...
- Malus prunifoliaMalus prunifoliaMalus prunifolia is a species of apple tree known by the common names pear-leaf and plum-leaf crabapple, Chinese apple and Chinese crabapple. It is native to China, and is grown elsewhere for use as an ornamental tree or as rootstock...
- Malus pumila
- Malus rockiiMalus rockiiMalus rockii is in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus sargentiiMalus sargentiiMalus sargentii, occasionally called Sargent's apple or Sargent crabapple, is a species of crabapple in the genus Malus. The species was formerly considered a variety of the species Malus sieboldii. The plant is a shrub growing about 6 feet tall. Malus sargentii is native to Japan but is commonly...
- Malus sieboldiiMalus sieboldiiMalus sieboldii, commonly called Toringo crabapple or Siebold's crabapple, is a species in the family Rosaceae. It is sometimes considered to have three varieties: M. sieboldii var. sieboldii , M. sieboldii var. sargentii, which is sometimes considered to be a separate species M. sargentii, and M....
- Malus sieversiiMalus sieversiiMalus sieversii is a wild apple native to the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, eastern Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Northern Afghanistan and Xinjiang, China. It has recently been shown to be the sole ancestor of most cultivars of the domesticated apple...
— Asian wild apple or Almaty apple - Malus sikkimensisMalus sikkimensisMalus sikkimensis is a rare species of apple known by the common name Sikkim crabapple. Its Chinese name is xi jin hai dang. It is native to China, Nepal, Bhutan, and part of India, where it is threatened due to loss of habitat. It bears white and pink flowers and dark red fruit.-External links:**...
- Malus spectabilisMalus spectabilisMalus spectabilis is a species of apple known by the common names Asiatic apple, Chinese crab, and Chinese flowering apple. Its Chinese name is hai tang hua due to its beautiful flowers. It is native to China, where it is also a popular ornamental tree. It has white or pink flowers depending on...
- Malus sublobataMalus sublobataMalus sublobata is a species in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus sylvestrisMalus sylvestrisMalus sylvestris, the European wild apple, is a species of Malus , native to Europe from as far south as Spain, Italy and Greece to as far north as Scandinavia and Russia. Its scientific name means "forest apple", and the truly wild tree has thorns.In the past, M. sylvestris was thought to be an...
— European wild apple - Malus toringoidesMalus toringoidesMalus toringoides is a species in the family Rosaceae....
- Malus transitoriaMalus transitoriaMalus transitoria is a species of apple native to China. It is grown as an ornamental tree for its abundant white flowers, and is also used as rootstock for other apples. The fruit is reddish-yellow.- Lower taxa :...
- Malus trilobataMalus trilobataMalus trilobata is a species in the family Rosaceae that is either placed in the genus Malus, as Malus trilobata, or some authorities place it in the segregate genus Eriolobus, as Eriolobus trilobatus....
- Malus tschonoskiiMalus tschonoskiiMalus tschonoskii is a species in the genus Malus in the Rosaceae. It is a strong growing tree with distinctive columnar habit and is particularly noted for its autumn colouring when the mid-green leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, purple and scarlet...
- Malus yunnanensisMalus yunnanensisMalus yunnanensis is a species in the family Rosaceae....
Cultivars
- Malus × moerlandsii Door.Simeon Gottfried Albert DoorenbosSimeon Doorenbos was a Dutch horticulturist best known for his work as Director of The Hague Parks Department from 1927 until his retirement in 1957, with a brief interruption during the Second World War when he was dismissed and evicted by the Nazis for refusing to remove trees and shrubs to...
'profusion' - Profusion crabapple