Trees🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -30°C

Crab Apple

Malus sylvestris s.s.

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Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris s.s.) is the true wild apple: a rare, native shrub or small tree of deciduous forests, forest edges, hedgerows, hedges and shrubberies. The species often has thorn-like branches, roundish to elliptical leaves and white to light pink blossom in the spring. In April and May, Crab Apple blooms with striking flowers that have a lot of value for bees and other insects. After flowering, small yellow-green to reddish apples form. These are much smaller, harder and more acrid than common eating apples. Crab Apple grows best on humic, moderately nutrient-rich, moisture-retentive and neutral to calcareous soil. Due to cross-breeding with eating apples, species-true origin is extra important.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🐝Provides nectar
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

✂️Best pruning period: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
✂️ Pruning period

Best pruning period

Crab Apple needs little pruning. Remove only dead, crossing or unwanted branches during winter dormancy. For flowering and fruits, light, natural pruning is best.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun, Half shade

Soil type: Clay, Sand, Loam, Humus-rich

Moisture need: Moderately moist, Moist

pH: Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5), Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5)

Nutrient richness: Moderately nutrient-rich, Nutrient-rich

Humus content: Moderately humus-rich, Humus-rich, Humus-poor

Water drainage: Well draining, Moisture-retentive

Appearance & season

Mature height: 600-1000cm

Bloom: Apr-May

Autumn colour: Yellow to yellow-brown. The ornamental value lies mainly in the white to pink blossom, the natural whimsical growth and the small apples in late summer and autumn.

Properties

Salt sensitive: Yes

Edible: The small apples are edible after processing, but usually hard, sour and acrid raw. They are suitable for jelly, puree, cider, chutney or as a sour seasoning; common eating apples are much sweeter.

Scent: The flowers have a soft, pleasant apple blossom scent. The scent is not heavy, but the blossom is attractive to bees, bumblebees and other early flower visitors.

Ecological value

Crab Apple is valuable for bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, beetles, birds and small mammals. The blossom provides food to early flower visitors in April and May. The small apples often remain on the tree for a long time and are eaten by birds and mammals. The tree or shrub provides cover, nesting and structure in hedges, forest edges and bird thickets. Due to the flowering, fruits and rare wild origin, Crab Apple is a strong species for biodiversity in native hedges, food forests, forest edges and natural gardens.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsExtremely useful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesExtremely useful

🪰 HoverfliesVery useful

🦋 ButterfliesUseful

🪲 Beetles & insectsVery useful

🐦 BirdsExtremely useful

🐿️ MammalsVery useful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

Crab Apple is especially valuable due to the spring blossom, small fruits and natural shrub or tree form. The species is rare as a true wild form; therefore species-true origin is important.

Distribution in the Netherlands