Malus sylvestris - Crab Apple

Malus sylvestris, or Wild Apple Tree, is a native botanical species, sometimes found in deciduous forests or on the edge of woods. This small tree forms an oval to rounded crown, quite irregular, which widens and amplifies with age. In spring, it is adorned with a charming flowering, which is pale pink when it blooms before becoming pure white. The flowers are followed by small yellowish-green apples with red highlights that persist for a long time on the branches. This small tree is quite resistant to diseases and insects. It is perfect for a natural or wild-inspired garden, even in a small space. It will also work well in an orchard as a pollinator, thanks to its long flowering period.

The wild apple tree, like other botanical species of the genus Malus, belongs to the Rosaceae family. It naturally grows in Europe, in deciduous forests, hedges or on the edge of woods. Hardy, accommodating and easy to grow, it can tolerate ordinary soil but prefers loamy, deep, loose and moist soil, as well as sunny exposures. Once established, it can perfectly withstand a little neglect. This small tree has a generally rounded to oval habit, which is rather irregular. It can sometimes develop as much in width as in height. It usually reaches between 5 m and 9 m (16.4 ft to 29.5 ft) in height and between 4 m and 7 m (13.1 ft to 23 ft) in spread. Its branches, sometimes covered with thorns, can take a tortuous shape with age. The flexible wood is adorned with a smooth bark of grey-brown colour, which peels off in small flakes.

Flowering takes place in May, in the form of numerous pink buds, opening into single flowers, 3.5 cm to 4 cm (1.4 in to 1.6 in) in diameter, pale pink in colour that quickly turn white. These flowers, gathered in small clusters, bloom at the same time as the young leaves. The flowering is followed by the formation of numerous small apples the size of cherries, between 2 cm to 3 cm (0.8 in to 1.2 in) in diameter. When ripe in late summer, they are yellowish-green, and tinged with red when exposed to the sun. They have a very acidic taste, earning them the name of "sour apple tree". Very rich in pectin, they are used to make delicious jellies. These fruits remain attached to the tree during half of winter, until December, and constitute a precious food reserve for birds. Its leaves are ovate, alternate, with finely toothed lamina. The young leaves are pubescent. The shiny dark green foliage is deciduous and takes on warm tones in autumn.

Malus sylvestris, like flowering apple trees, is a good pollinator for early-flowering fruit trees. Thanks to its beautiful spring flowering and its lovely fruits that remain on the tree for a long time in winter, it will be decorative for a good part of the year. It will suit a medium to small-sized garden, in a free hedge, accompanied for example by tall bush roses or climbing roses trained as bushes, evergreen Viburnum, and lilacs. When space allows, wild apple trees planted in a large hedge on a slope bordering a sunken path create a rather magical tableau from spring to winter.