Crab Apples

One of the most common questions I’m asked this time of year is: what are these

berries on my tree? In many cases, the answer is Crab Apples (Malus spp.)!

On PEI (and probably elsewhere), it’s common to call any wild Apple a Crab Apple. But technically, a Crab Apple tree consistently produces fruit less than five centimetres (two inches) in diameter at maturity. That means most or all of the fruit is that size, every year. A tree sporting Apples in a variety of sizes, or larger fruit under better growing conditions, is just a run-of-the-mill Apple.

Many of the Crab Apples I see are indeed berry-sized, and I can understand why people are surprised to learn their true identity. If in doubt, there’s one simple test to confirm what you have: cut the fruit in half through the middle (not head to toe). Apples have their seeds arranged in a five-pointed star, as shown here. Other types of fruit will have a single, hard pit (such as Cherries) or a bunch of seeds scattered inside (like Chokeberries or Rose hips).

Thanks to centuries of breeding and cultivation, there are now thousands of varieties of Apples, including hundreds of varieties of Crab Apples; some are strictly ornamental and others produce usable fruit. While there are species of Crab Apples native to North America – for example, the Sweet Crab Apple (Malus coronaria) of the Southeastern US or the Pacific Crab Apple (Malus fusca) of the west coast – all those found here on PEI are non-native cultivars.

Depending on the variety, Crab Apples may be green, golden, or red at maturity; their taste is usually very tart, and they are higher in pectin than regular Apples, making them excellent for jelly and cider. Unfortunately, Apples do not grow true to seed, meaning that if you find some Crab Apples you like, planting their seeds won’t give you trees with that same fruit. Your best bet is to remember where that tasty tree was and return to it year after year.

Crab Apples can be found as ornamentals around towns and cities, and as escaped wild trees on PEI Untamed!