Crab apple

Found throughout Europe, the deciduous crab apple (Malus sylvestris) is part of the Rosaceae family of flowering plants.

Living up to 100 years, these trees typically reach 7-10 metres at maturity, often in irregular shapes.

Crab apple grows best in heavy, moist, well-drained soil. It thrives with minimal competition, as it requires a lot of sunlight.

Identification-wise, you can tell crab apple by its glossy, finely toothed oval leaves, small yellow-green fruit, flaky light brown bark and white-pink flowers that appear in May.

The ‘crab’ epithet may originate in the tree’s spiny twigs. It is often confused with pear and plum trees when fruitless.

The fruit’s appearance can vary greatly due to serial cross-breeding, often making them impossible to differentiate from domesticated apples without genetic testing.

Crab apples have been associated with love, marriage and fertility for centuries and are used today in wines and jams.

Images: bud by Stefan lefnaer (own work) CC BY-SA 4.0; flowers by debannja (Pixabay); leaves/fruit by annaIlarionova (Pixabay).

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