Crab Apple - Malus sylvestris

Irish name - Crann fia-ll
Rose family - Rosaceae

Characteristics

• Crab apple rarely exceed 8m (24ft)
• Its spiny twigs bear pink-white blossoms that enliven hedgerows in the spring; in autumn its leaves turn golden.
• It bears small greenish-yellow apples that have a hard woody texture and a sour taste, but make excellent jelly by themselves or with blackberries or rowan berries.
• The trees are tolerant of cutting, making a good shrub for the mixed hedgerow.
• Crab usually occur singly, scattered through almost all types of woodland. Many small woods therefore may have only a single individual.

Season

• Leaves open in late April and flowers appear early the next month.
• The fruits are full sized (around 25mm across) but green by early autumn, falling in October.

Preferred Environment

• Crab apple is found in woods, hedgerows and shrub on wide range soils, but prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline soil.
• They are fairly light demanding, tolerating only light shade.

Wildlife Associations

• There are 93 insect species that are associated with crab apple.
• Early bees pollinate the flowers.
• Birds scatter the black pips of the apples when eating them and seedlings are often found in hedgerows where birds roots.
• Fallen crab apples fruits provide food for mammals.

Uses

• Crab apple timber is of excellent quality; it is very uniform in texture and if dried very slowly is suitable for the most delicate woodworking such as wood engraving and fine carving.
• Some say that two or three crabs improve an apple tart.

Please remember...

Permission from the landowner - and, if the site holds any kind of designation, from Northern Ireland Environment Agency too - must be sought before collecting plant material (including seeds).