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lethean46

a volunteer crabapple? which one?

lethean46
13 years ago

I was surprised to find this nice looking crabapple? Is it possible to identify it further? It was growing through a planted viburnum which we decided to remove because of its poor structure. The planted viburnum seemed to also be poorly sited because it blocked the deeper view of the adjacent woodland behind. I think the crabapple is nicely sited thanks to mother nature.

This is a close up look at the tree.

{{gwi:349992}}

This is the larger view of the same tree.

{{gwi:349993}}

There seems to be many small crabapple saplings on the hillside. Is that a problem? Should I group them together in one general area? There might be a pear tree in the right foreground? If so, we are removing all of those as we find them.

{{gwi:349994}}

We did remove a very big old crabapple from this area about 5 years ago. And I don't know if that one was a native crab or not. All of these might be the result of the old crabapple.

Again, from the picture of the larger view of the nice new crabapple - is it possible to narrow its identity some more? I haven't seen it bloom. It was really mostly hidden by the viburnum which has now been removed.

Thank you very much.

ML

Comments (14)

  • Iris GW
    13 years ago

    Actually I don't think it is a crabapple (Malus), looks more like a cherry (Prunus). A quick check would be to cut open one of the fruits - if it is a crabapple, the seeds (plural) and structure inside will look very much like an apple. If it is a cherry then it should have one single seed (like a cherry).

  • lethean46
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Wow. We do have wild black cherry here. And my tree man also identified what he thought was one very nice wild sweet cherry.

    I will get back to you with the info on the fruit.

    Thanks.

    ML

  • weedwoman
    13 years ago

    Not Black Cherry, which has dark fruits arranged along a long stem and fruits in summer. Do what ESH says and cut open a fruit, but it looks like a crabapple to me. I'm not much good at cultivars, but Toringo Crab has clusters of small fruit like that, and would have fruit on it now (I'm assuming the picture is recent.)

    WW

  • lycopus
    13 years ago

    Native crabapples are rather uncommon except for Malus coronaria which has larger, greenish yellow fruit. Quite possible they are seedlings from the crabapple that you removed, in which case they are probably mutts for lack of a better word.

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    Definitely Malus and not Prunus.

  • lethean46
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi

    I looks to me like there's more than one seed.

    {{gwi:349995}}

    Also, there's more than one leaf type on each of the trees in question.

    {{gwi:349996}}

    Does that help with the ID?

    Thanks.

    ML

  • weedwoman
    13 years ago

    I didn't mean to imply that Toringo Crab was a wild plant, it's not. If it's not in a garden it would be an escape. And there are about a million species and cultivars of crabapple. But in addition to the multiple seeds in the fruit, you can see in that last picture that some of the leaves have 3 lobes, which you never see in cherries but is pretty common in some crabapples. And I have to say I've never seen cherries that look as good in fruit as crabapples do - something always eats them.

    By the way, it's too small to see in the photos but another way to tell the difference between cherries and apples is that anything in the genus Prunus, that is cherries and plums, has a couple little tiny glands at the top of the leafstalk - little bumps. Apples don't have that.

    WW

  • flora_uk
    13 years ago

    lethean - just a tip for future reference. If you cut the fruit across the 'Equator' rather than through the 'Poles' Malus will always show the seeds (usually 5) in a star shape. Prunus, as has been said, will be hard to cut right through because of the stone (pit).

    Here is a link that might be useful: cross section of apple

  • Markus440
    10 years ago

    That looks like Sargent's crabapple it has two different leaves on the same branch.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    did you treat the stump after removing the old one.. if not. it could be the root stock of the old one ...

    also .... if seedlings ... they can be identified any further .... they would not be a named variety .....

    ken

  • Markus440
    10 years ago

    I am almost positive it's a Sargent's crab I have two in my yard that I dug from a swamp . They have little blooms that are pink when starting then open to white, the leaves elliptical and leaves on the same branch can have three lobes. They are fast growing but they don't get real tall they like to send up shoots and spread horizontally.

  • Markus440
    10 years ago

    Hey Ken,I don't think a crab tree would have taken off from a viburnum stump. That is a Sargent's crabapple ( Malus Sargentii )

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Sargent crab-apple usually doesn't grow so tree-like, produces less brightly colored, more pea-like fruits. There are other Malus species with lobed leaves, as well as numerous hybrid crab-apples with various combinations of characteristics.

    This post was edited by bboy on Fri, Jan 3, 14 at 11:49

  • weedlady
    10 years ago

    The whole Malus tribe hybridizes like mad.
    Do you have to have a name if the tree is sited well and you like it? ;-)