Malus 'Pristine' 3
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''Malus'' ( or ) is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of about 32–57
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of small
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
s or
shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
s in the family
Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...
, including the domesticated orchard
apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus is
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
to the
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
zone of the
Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
.


Description

Apple trees are typically tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The
leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
are long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s are borne in
corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...
s, and have five
petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s, which may be white, pink, or red, and are
perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection; completeness, and excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film and television * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (20 ...
, with usually red stamens that produce copious
pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...
, and a half-inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80
growing degree-day Growing degree days (GDD), also called growing degree units (GDUs), are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturists, gardeners, and farmers to predict plant and animal development rates such as the ...
s, varying greatly according to subspecies and
cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
. Many apples require
cross-pollination Xenogamy (Greek ''xenos''=stranger, ''gamos''=marriage) is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of a different plant. This is the only type of cross pollination which during pollination brings genetically different types of ...
between individuals by
insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s (typically
bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
s, which freely visit the flowers for both
nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...
and
pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...
); these are called self-sterile, so self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. A number of cultivars are self-pollinating, such as "Granny Smith" and "Golden Delicious", but are considerably fewer in number compared to their cross-pollination dependent counterparts. Several ''Malus'' species, including domestic apples, hybridize freely. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
is a globose
pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by a ...
, varying in size from in diameter in most of the wild species, to in ''M. sylvestris sieversii'', in ''M. domestica'', and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples. The centre of the fruit contains five
carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...
arranged star-like, each containing one or two
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
s.


Subdivision

36 species and 4 hybrids are accepted. The genus ''Malus'' is subdivided into eight sections (six, with two added in 2006 and 2008). The oldest fossils of the genus date to the
Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
(
Lutetian The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage (stratigraphy), stage or age (geology), age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it ...
), which are leaves belonging to the species ''Malus collardii'' and ''Malus kingiensis'' from western North America (Idaho) and the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
(
Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
), respectively.


Species

36 species and four natural hybrids are accepted: * ''
Malus angustifolia ''Malus angustifolia'', or southern crabapple, is a species of crabapple native to the eastern and south-central United States. Description ''M. angustifolia'' is a tree sometimes attaining a height of 10 meters (33 feet). The trunk can have a ...
'' – southern crabapple * ''
Malus asiatica ''Malus asiatica'' also known as the Chinese pearleaf crabapple is a species in the genus ''Malus'', in the family Rosaceae. It is native to China and Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, J ...
'' – Chinese pearleaf crabapple * ''
Malus baccata ''Malus baccata'' is an Asian species of apple known by the common names Siberian crab apple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to many parts of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and f ...
'' – Siberian crabapple * ''
Malus brevipes ''Malus brevipes'', with the common name shrub apple, is a species of crabapple in the genus ''Malus'', in the family Rosaceae. It is only known as a cultivated garden variety, its original native location of distribution is unknown. Kew Garden ...
'' – shrub apple * '' Malus coronaria'' – sweet crabapple * ''
Malus crescimannoi ''Malus crescimannoi'', also known as the Raimondo apple, is a species of apple in the rose family, Rosaceae. Native to the island of Sicily, it was formally described only in 2008, making it one of the most recently described species of tree in ...
'' * ''
Malus daochengensis ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' * ''
Malus domestica An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
'' – domestic or orchard apple * ''
Malus doumeri ''Malus doumeri'' is a species in the genus ''Malus'' in the family Rosaceae, that resembles '' Docynia'' and has been placed in that genus in the past. It is native to temperate and tropical Asia. The fruit is edible. It is also called with the ...
'' – Taiwan crabapple * ''
Malus florentina ''Malus 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. Description The tree is deci ...
'' – Florentine crabapple, hawthorn-leaf crabapple * ''
Malus fusca ''Malus fusca'', with the common names Oregon crabapple and Pacific crabapple, is a species of crabapple native to western North America. Description ''Malus fusca'' is a deciduous tree growing up to tall, with a trunk thick. The leaves are ...
'' – Oregon or Pacific crabapple * '' Malus halliana'' – Hall crabapple * ''
Malus honanensis ''Malus honanensis'' is a wild species in the genus ''Malus'' (mostly referred for the ''crabapple'' or ''wild apple''), in the family Rosaceae, with no established common name, and used as rootstock for the domesticated apple An apple is ...
'' * ''
Malus hupehensis ''Malus hupehensis'', common names Chinese crab apple, Hupeh crab or tea crabapple, is a species of flowering plant in the apple genus ''Malus'' of the family Rosaceae. It is native to China. Description ''Malus hupehensis'' is a vigorous decid ...
'' – tea crabapple * '' Malus ioensis'' – prairie crabapple * ''
Malus jinxianensis ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' * ''
Malus kansuensis ''Malus kansuensis'' is a species in the genus ''Malus'' in the family Rosaceae, called with the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, p ...
'' – Calva crabapple * '' Malus komarovii'' ( * ''
Malus leiocalyca ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' * ''
Malus mandshurica ''Malus mandshurica'', the Manchurian crab apple, is a species of ''Malus'' found in China, far eastern Russia, North Korea, and Japan. Some authorities consider it to be a variety of the Siberian crab apple, ''Malus baccata ''Malus baccata'' ...
'' * ''
Malus muliensis ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' * '' Malus niedzwetzkyana'' – Niedzwetzky's Apple * ''
Malus ombrophila ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' * '' Malus orientalis'' * '' Malus prattii'' – Pratt's crabapple * '' Malus prunifolia'' – plum-leaf crabapple, Chinese crabapple * ''
Malus rockii ''Malus rockii'' is a crabapple species in the family Rosaceae. It is native to China and Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and nor ...
'' – native to China and Bhutan * ''
Malus sikkimensis ''Malus sikkimensis'' is a rare species of apple known by the common name Sikkim crabapple. Its Chinese name is xi jin hai tang (锡金海棠). It bears white and pink flowers and dark red fruit. It was first published in Gatt. Pomac. in 1890. ...
'' – Sikkim crabapple * ''
Malus spectabilis ''Malus spectabilis'' () is a species of crabapple known by the common names Asiatic apple, Chinese crab, HaiTang and Chinese flowering apple. Description ''Malus spectabilis'' has white or pink flowers, depending on the variety. The fruit is y ...
'' – Asiatic apple, Chinese crabapple * ''
Malus spontanea ''Malus spontanea'', the nokaidō, is a species of crabapple in the family Rosaceae, found only in the Ebino-kōgen high plateau of the Kirishima volcanic complex of Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four ...
'' - nokaidō * ''
Malus sylvestris ''Malus sylvestris'', the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus ''Malus''. Its scientific name means "forest apple", reflecting its habitat. It is native to western Eurasia ...
'' – European crabapple * '' Malus toringo'' (syns. ''
Malus sargentii ''Malus sargentii'', the Sargent crabapple or Sargent's apple, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Malus ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including th ...
'', ''
Malus sieboldii ''Malus sieboldii'', commonly called Siebold's crab, Siebold's crabapple or Toringo crabapple, is a species of crabapple in the family Rosaceae. Taxonomy Some botanists have reclassified it as ''Malus toringo''. Varieties It is sometimes consi ...
'') – Sargent crabapple, Toringo crabapple, or Siebold's crabapple * ''
Malus toringoides ''Malus toringoides'' is a crabapple species in the family Rosaceae, with the common name cut-leaf crabapple. The tree is endemic to mountain ranges of China, located within Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Sichuan Provinces. ''Malus torin ...
'' – cut-leaf crabapple * ''
Malus transitoria ''Malus transitoria'', the cut-leaf crabapple, is a species of flowering plant in the crabapple genus, ''Malus''. It is native to China. Description ''Malus transitoria'' is a deciduous tree growing to tall by wide. The deeply divided leaves ...
'' – cut-leaf crabapple * '' Malus trilobata'' – Lebanese wild apple, erect crabapple, or three-lobed apple tree * '' Malus turkmenorum'' (syn. ''
Malus sieversii ''Malus sieversii'' is a wild apple. According to DNA analysis conducted in 2010, it is the primary ancestor of the domesticated apple, '' M. domestica''. Native to Central Asia, ''M. sieversii'' prefers warm and damp habitats. Its conserv ...
'') – wild ancestor of cultivated species ''
Malus domestica An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
'' * ''
Malus yunnanensis ''Malus yunnanensis'' is a species in the genus Malus, family Rosaceae, with the common name Yunnan crabapple. In Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of ...
'' – Yunnan crabapple * ''
Malus zhaojiaoensis ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'' ;Hybrids * ''
Malus × floribunda ''Malus floribunda'', common name Japanese flowering crabapple, Japanese crab, purple chokeberry, or showy crabapple, originates from Japan and East Asia. It may be a hybrid of ''M. toringo'' with ''M. baccata'', in which case it wou ...
'' – Japanese flowering crabapple * ''
Malus × kaido ''Malus'' × ''kaido'', the midget crab apple or Kaido crab apple, is a hybrid species of genus ''Malus'' in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is a naturally-occurring hybrid of ''Malus baccata ''Malus baccata'' is an Asian species of apple known ...
'' (syn. ''
Malus × micromalus ''Malus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples (sometimes known in North America as crabapples) and wild apples. The genus i ...
'') – midget crabapple * '' Malus × soulardii'' * ''
Malus × zumi ''Malus'' × ''zumi'' (or ''Malus zumi'') is a naturally occurring hybrid species of crabapple in the family Rosaceae, native to Japan, and a garden escapee in the US state of Ohio. Its parents are Manchurian crab apple '' Malus mandshurica'' an ...
''


Formerly placed here

* ''
Macromeles tschonoskii ''Macromeles tschonoskii'' (common names Chonosuki crab and pillar apple) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a tree endemic to Japan. The specific epithet ''tschonoskii'' refers to the 19th century Japanese botanist S ...
'' (as ''Malus tschonoskii'' ) – Chonosuki crabapple and pillar apple


Selected artificial hybrids

* ''
Malus × sublobata ''Malus × sublobata'' is the botanical name for the yellow autumn crabapple. It is a species of the genus malus in the family Rosaceae, native to Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northea ...
'' – yellow autumn crabapple (''M. asiatica'' × ''M. toringo'')


Fossil species

After * ''Malus collardii'' Axelrod, North America (Idaho),
Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
* ''Malus kingiensis'' Budants, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, Eocene * ''Malus florissantensis'' (Cockerell) MacGinitie
Green River Formation The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the present-day Green River (Colorado River), Green River in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The sedimen ...
, North America (Colorado) Eocene * ''Malus pseudocredneria'' (Cockerell) MacGinitie Green River Formation, North America (Colorado) Eocene * ''Malus idahoensis'' R.W.Br. North America (Idaho),
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
* ''Malus parahupehensis'' J.Hsu and R.W.Chaney
Shanwang The Shanwang National Geology Park () is located in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China, about from Linqu County. It has an area of about . The Park is well known for the fossil bearing Shanwang Formation diatomitic deposits, one ...
, Shandong, China, Miocene * ''Malus antiqua'' Doweld Romania,
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...


Cultivation

Crabapples are popular as compact ornamental trees, providing blossom in spring and colourful fruit in autumn. The fruits often persist throughout winter. Numerous hybrid cultivars have been selected. Some crabapples are used as
rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...
s for domestic apples to add beneficial characteristics. For example, the rootstocks of ''
Malus baccata ''Malus baccata'' is an Asian species of apple known by the common names Siberian crab apple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to many parts of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and f ...
'' varieties are used to give additional cold hardiness to the combined plants for orchards in cold northern areas. They are also used as pollinizers in apple
orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
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 is placed near the beehives as orchard pollenizers. Because of the plentiful blossoms and small fruit, crabapples are popular for use in
bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...
culture.


Cultivars

These cultivars have won the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
: * 'Adirondack' * 'Butterball' * 'Comtesse de Paris' * 'Evereste' * 'Jelly King'='Mattfru' * 'Laura' * '' Malus × robusta'' 'Red Sentinel' * 'Sun Rival' Other varieties are dealt with under their species names.


Toxicity

The seeds contain
cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...
compounds.


Uses

Crabapple fruit is not an important
crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...
in most areas, being extremely
sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...
due to
malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...
(which like the genus derives from the Latin name '' mālum''), and in some species woody, so is rarely eaten raw. In some
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
n cultures, they are valued as a sour
condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...
, sometimes eaten with salt and chilli or
shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...
. Some crabapple varieties are an exception to the reputation of being sour, and can be very sweet, such as the 'Chestnut' cultivar. Crabapples are an excellent source of
pectin Pectin ( ': "congealed" and "curdled") is a heteropolysaccharide, a structural polymer contained in the primary lamella, in the middle lamella, and in the cell walls of terrestrial plants. The principal chemical component of pectin is galact ...
. Using sugar and spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice, their
juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...
can be made into ruby-coloured crab apple jelly with a full, spicy flavour. A small percentage of crabapples in
cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
makes a more interesting flavour. As
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
''Wergulu'', the crab apple is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon ''
Nine Herbs Charm The Nine Herbs Charm, ''Nigon Wyrta Galdor'', Lay of the Nine Healing Herbs, or Nine Wort Spell (among other names) is an Old English charm recorded in the tenth century CE.Gordon (1962:92–93). It is part of the Anglo-Saxon medical compilation ...
'', recorded in the 10th century. Applewood gives off a pleasant scent when burned, and smoke from an applewood fire gives an excellent flavour to
smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...
foods. It is easier to cut when green; dry applewood 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. Applewood is used to make handles of
hand saw In woodworking and carpentry, hand saws, also known as "panel saws", are used to cut pieces of wood into different shapes. This is usually done in order to Woodworking joints, join the pieces together and carve a wooden object. They operate by ...
s; in the early 1900s 2,000,000 board feet of applewood were used annually for this purpose.Burks, Jeff (2015). "Woods Used in Saw Handles". Lost Art Press, Traditional Hand-tool Skills. blog.lostartpress.com.


References


External links


Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Malus''

Flora of China: ''Malus''




a cooperative among
Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
,
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, and the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
. {{Authority control Rosaceae genera Plants used in bonsai Fruit trees Taxa named by Philip Miller