Cardinal crab apple trees

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• Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile
• Blossom colour: Pink - dark
• Fruit colour: Red - dark
• Awards: RHS AGM (current) 2012

Also known as Princeton Cardinal, a bronze-leaved crab-apple with pink-red spring blossom and red fruitlets in the autumn.

Cardinal crab apple trees for sale

Malus 'Cardinal' (or 'Princeton Cardinal') is named for its intense purple-pink flowers which are borne in great profusion in April - the tree can appear to be almost drowning under the weight of blossom.

In autumn the tree is covered in tiny dark red fruitlets, which persist on the tree into early winter. In good autumn weather (sunny days and cold nights) the leaves will take on red hues.

Like many pink-flowered crab-apples the leaves are also a deep bronze colour in the spring, lightening to bronze-tinged green over the summer, and taking on some orange colour in the autumn.

How to grow

Malus Cardinal is very cold-hardy.

It is also one of the most disease-resistant of the bronze-leaved crab-apples, with good resistance to scab and mildew.

It grows with an attractive upright habit which soon becomes spreading and flat-topped, and makes a pleasing sight in the landscape.

The bronze colouration of the leaves becomes more apparent as the tree gets older.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Malus Cardinal is also widely known as 'Princeton Cardinal', having been developed at Princeton, New Jersey.

Although usually considered to belong to the species Malus hupehensis, it actually has a mixed parentage, being a cross of Malus 'Strawberry Parfait' (Malus hupehensis) and Malus 'Crimson Cloud' (Malus baccata x Malus 'Almey'). Most forms of Malus hupehensis have white blossom and green leaves, so Malus Cardinal is quite different in this respect. However it retains the characteristic flat-topped spreading shape of the species.

Cardinal characteristics