Crab apple trees
Malus Admiration
Also known as Malus Adirondack. A dwarf upright crab-apple with masses of light-pink / white flowers. compare
Malus Butterball
Butterball is named for its bright yellow fruits, which are also good for crab apple jelly. compare
Malus Dolgo
Malus Dolgo, also known as Pink Glow, offers early-season white flowers and dark pink fruits. compare
Malus Evereste
Evereste is a popular crab-apple with masses of white blossom, then red-yellow fruits. compare
Malus Floribunda
Malus floribunda is also known as the Japanese Crab. Pink / white blossom then red / yellow fruits. compare
Malus Golden Gem
Golden Gem has bright white blossom followed by yellow crab apples. compare
Malus Golden Hornet
Malus Golden Hornet has pink / white blossom then small yellow crab apples which hang on late in the year. compare
Malus Gorgeous
Malus Gorgeous features light pink blossom and is good for crab apple jelly. compare
Malus Indian Magic
A superb all-round crab apple, bronze leaves, and persistent red fruits. compare
Malus Jelly King
A compact crab apple, with unusually large persistent fruits - excellent for crab apple jelly. compare
Malus John Downie
John Downie is a good crabapple for making crab apple jelly. White blossom and orange-red fruits. compare
Malus Liset
Malus Liset is a compact ornamental crab apple, with dusky red flowers and small scarlet fruits. compare
Malus Louisa
Malus Louisa is a pretty weeping crab apple with light pink blossom. compare
Malus Profusion
Malus Profusion is a notably compact crab apple variety, with dense clusters of deep pink blossom. compare
Malus Red Sentinel
Malus Red Sentinel has classic white apple blossom and a profusion of tiny scarlet fruits. compare
Malus Royal Beauty
Royal Beauty is a compact weeping crab apple with crimson blossom. compare
Malus Royalty
Malus Royalty is an ornamental crab apple with green-bronze leaves and dark red blossom. compare
Malus Scarlett
Malus toringo Scarlett is an ornamental crab apple with purple/green leaves and pink blossom. compare
Malus Sun Rival
Malus Sun Rival is a crab apple with white flowers, red fruits, notable for its weeping growth habit. compare
Malus Wedding Bouquet
Malus brevipes Wedding Bouquet features an abundance of ivory-white blossom. compareMore about Crab apple trees
Crab apples (Ornamental malus) are very closely related to apples, being part of the same genus Malus. The only difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit, and it is usually considered that any apple variety with a fruit size of less than 2" is a crabapple.
Crab apple trees are grown primarily for their ornamental value. This starts in spring with a profusion of attractive blossom, which is often scented. The brightly coloured ornamental fruits hang attractively on the tree throughout autumn, providing colour in the garden and a source of food for birds. Some varieties also have attractive bronze leaves.
Most crab apples are edible - although rather unpalatable for eating fresh. However many varieties are valuable for cooking - crab apples contain large amounts of pectin, and are useful in the kitchen for making fruit jellies. Several varieties are also useful for cider blends.
The prolific blossom also makes most crab apples excellent pollinators for all other apple and cider-apple varieties - they typically produce five to ten times more pollen than a typical apple tree. The blossom is also usually more long-lasting than that of normal apples, and spans several of the mainstream apple flowering groups. Crab apples are naturally precocious and will often start producing blossom and fruit in their 2nd or 3rd years.
