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Crab Apple

©Philip Precey

Chaffinch in Crab Apple tree

©Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

Crab apple

The Crab apple is familiar as a small tree that produces yellow-green, rounded fruit that is used for making jellies and wines. It can be found in woods and hedges, as well as in cultivated orchards.

Scientific name

Malus sylvestris

When to see

January to December

Species information

Statistics

Height: 7-10m
Common.

About

The Crab apple is a small tree of woodland edges and hedgerows; it is also frequently planted in commercial orchards. Its pinky-white flowers appear in May and ripen to small, green apples in late summer. This fruit can be used for making jellies and wines or roasted with meat, and, as a result, this tree has been cultivated for thousands of years. Like many of our trees, the Crab apple is important for local wildlife, including Blackbirds, thrushes, mice and voles who all eat the fruit.

How to identify

The Crab apple can be easily mistaken for other varieties of apple that have been planted or have escaped. It can be distinguished by its small, finely toothed, oval leaves, and small, yellow-green fruits. Orchard varieties tend to have larger fruits and pinker flowers.

Distribution

Widespread.

Did you know?

The Crab apple is a close relative of the domestic apple, which is descended from a central Asian species. There are thousands of varieties of domestic apple, many of which have died out.