Crab apple

The crab apple grows singly, sometimes woods will only have one tree. It is found throughout Europe and Asia Minor and can be easily confused with domestic apple trees which have ‘escaped’ from cultivation and become naturalised.

What other names does it have?

Can also be known as	Wild apple Wild crab Aball (Irish) Gribble Grindstone apple Bittersgall Wilding tree
Generic name	Apple
Latin name	Malus sylvestris
Family name	Rose
Latin family name	Rosaceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	7-9m

Leaf

Description	Glossy with small rounded triangular teeth. The leaves are often folded or crumpled
Shape	Oval
Size	Up to 6cm
Colour	Green
Leaf bud	Brown with downy hair at their pointed tips
Leaf stalk	Short stalk
Leaf arrangement	Alternate

Flower, seed, and fruit

Type of flower	Clustered/grouped flowers
Fruit colour	Yellow-green often flushed with red and/or white spots
Type of seed body	Fruit
Seeds dispersed by	Wildlife

Bark and twig

Bark description	Purplish brown with scaly ridges
Twig Description	Green brown in colour with spurs and spines

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Orchard apples- many varieties and hybrids which generally have pinker flowers and larger fruit

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	Brtiain and Ireland
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	Frequent in old woods and hedges on heavier soils
What is its British conservation status?	Frequent

Additional information

Human uses of tree and timber

The crab apple was the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple, over 6,000 varieties having been bred over the ages (over two-thirds now extinct). The timber of the crab apple is uniform in texture and if dried slowly, is excellent for woodworking. At one time it was used for making set-squares and other drawing instruments. The fruit is excellent for crab apple jelly and wine. It has been cultivated since early times- a few crab apples were found in an early Bronze Age coffin. Crab apples can also be roasted and served with meat or added to winter ale or punches. In Ireland a yellow dye was extracted from the bark to colour wool.

Tree lore and folklore

Many beliefs stem from crab apples, mostly to do with love and marriage partners. An example is throwing pips into the fire whilst saying the name of your true love, if the pip explodes the love is true. Shakespeare also makes reference to crab apples in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Love's Labour Lost.

Crab apple

Illustrations supplied by
Collins

BritishTrees