Plant Family: Rosaceae
Growth Form: Small attractive trees with a dense branching habit, often growing as wide as tall.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate, with rounded teeth,
Bark: Gray and scaly, branches with short spine-like twigs.
Flowers: White to shades of pink, depending on the variety, with 5 petals, pollination is by insects.
Fruits: Globose pomes that are yellow or red, usually 3 centimeters or less in diameter, although some cultivated species have larger fruits.
Habitat: Roadsides, old fields, fencerows, transportation corridors, very common in landscaping.
Range: Most of the approximately 30 species of Crabapples are native to Asia; North America has four species, their range is to the west and south of New England. Crabapples growing in wild habitats here are native to East Asia, having spread from cultivation.
Similar Species: Common Apple, in the same genus, has fruits 4 cm or more in diameter.
Comments: The fruits of some Crabapples are harvested to make jams and jellies, and a few species are used as hardy rootstock for the cultivars of Common Apple. Most Crabapples are grown as ornamentals.
