Apple, Crab
The Crab Apple Tree, one of the ancestors of the cultivated apple, is a broadleaved deciduous tree, that can grow to a height of 12 m, and may live for 100 years.
They have an irregular rounded shape and a wide spreading canopy. With greyish brown flecked bark, trees can become quite gnarled and twisted, especially when exposed, and the twigs often develop spines.
This ‘crabbed’ appearance may have influenced its common name, ‘crab apple’. points following a single enter.
Photo supplied by: Alan Payne
Common Name:
Crab Apple
Scentific Name:
Malus sylvestris
Tree No.:
55a
Location:
…
The brown and pointed leaf buds form on short stalks and have downy hair on their tips. These are followed by glossy, oval leaves which grow to a length of 6cm and have rounded teeth.
Credit: This could be your image
In spring, the sweetly scented blossom is pollinated by bees and other insects. The blossom develops into small, yellow-green apple-like fruits around 2–3cm across.
Credit: This could be your image
Sometimes the fruits are flushed with red or white spots when ripe. Birds and mammals eat the apples and disperse the seeds.
Credit: This could be your image
The crab apple is native to the UK, and is found primarily in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, it thrives best in heavy, moist, well-drained soil and areas of scrub.
The leaves are food for the caterpillars of many moths. The flowers provide an important source of pollen and nectar for insects, particularly bees. The fruit is eaten by birds, such as blackbirds, thrushes and crows, and small mammals, such as rodents, foxes and badgers.
The trees are often planted in orchards as their long flowering period makes them excellent pollination partners for cultivated apples. The fruit can be used to make crab apple jelly and as a natural source of pectin for setting jams.
The wood was made into tool handles, woodenware, and fuel. The wood is ideal for woodcarvers. The bark was made into a yellow dye.
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