Crabapple
Encyclopedia
Crabapple is a term used for several species of Malus
Malus
Malus , the apples, are a genus of about 30–35 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs 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...

in the family Rosaceae
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...

, which are characterized by small sour fruit resembling familiar table 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...

s (Malus domestica). They are usually small 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 shrubs.

The crabapple fruit is not an important crop. The plants are grown primarily as ornamental
Ornamental
Ornamental may refer to:*Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration*Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work*Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qualities...

s, although a few growers produce the fruit commercially. The fruit is preserved or pickled or it is used in making jellies. Most crabapples are grown for their ornamental value, and 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 are chosen because of their beautiful flowers, foliage, or fruit.

The general appearance is similar to a small bearing apple tree. Culture is also similar to the culture of apple trees. When planting around a home it is wise to choose disease resistant varieties. Some varieties, such as Dolgo, are propagated for large size and eating qualities.

Crabapple fruit is extremely sour and woody and is rarely eaten raw for this reason. However if crabapples are stewed and the pulp is carefully strained and mixed with an equal volume of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 (a necessary ingredient for the mix to become gelatinous) then boiled, their juice can be made into a delicious ruby-coloured crabapple jelly. Furthermore, a small percentage of crab apples 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 for an interesting flavor.
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...

 is similar to that of the apple. 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 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...

. Like the apple, the crabapple appears to require cross-pollination between cultivars by insects. All native crabapples are self-sterile. Self-pollination is impossible and pollinating insects are absolutely needed. Considering that the only difference between the crabapple and the apple is fruit size, it seems reasonable that the most effective pollinator of apples, the honey bee, should be equally effective on the crabapple.

Crab apple species freely hybrid
Hybrid
In biology and specifically, genetics, the term hybrid has several meanings, all referring to the offspring of sexual reproduction.#In general usage, hybrid is synonymous with heterozygous: any offspring resulting from the mating of two distinctly homozygous individuals#a genetic hybrid carries two...

ize among themselves and with domestic
apples. They produce copious and highly fertile 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...

, thus are used as
pollenizer
Pollenizer
A pollenizer or polleniser, sometimes pollinizer or polliniser is a plant that provides pollen.In American English, the words pollenizer and pollinator are often confused: A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves the pollen, such as bees, moths, bats, and birds...

s 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 crab apple 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 crab are
grafted onto some of the apple trees. In emergencies a bucket or drum
bouquet of crab apples blossoms 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...

.

Some crab apples are used as rootstocks for domestic apples to add
beneficial characteristics. For example, Siberian crab rootstock is often
used to give additional cold hardiness to the combined plant for orchards in
the northern part of apple range.

Some species that are called crab apples include:
  • Malus angustifolia
    Malus angustifolia
    Malus 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 crab, native to southeastern USA
  • M. baccata
    Malus baccata
    Malus 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 crab, native to northern Asia
  • M. coronaria
    Malus coronaria
    Malus 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...

    , American wild apple, native to central USA
  • M. floribunda
    Malus floribunda
    Malus 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 crab, native to Japan
  • M. fusca
    Malus fusca
    Malus 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 crab, native to western USA
  • M. sylvestris
    Malus sylvestris
    Malus 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 crab, native to Europe

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