Crab Apple
Irish Name - Crann fia-ll
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.
- 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 scrub on a wide range of 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 scattter the black pips of the apples when eating them and seedlings are often found in hedgerows where birds roost.
- 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.