Malus baccata
Encyclopedia
Malus baccata is a species of apple
known by the common names Siberian crabapple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to most of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree
and for rootstock
. It is used for bonsai
in Japan. It bears plentiful fragrant white flowers and edible red to yellow fruit of about 1 cm diameter.
, Mongolia
, China, Korea, Bhutan
, India
and Nepal
, where it is common to mixed forests on hilly slopes at elevations up to 1500 meters. The tree is found in Japan, and it has also been introduced to Canada and the US where it is mostly found around the Great Lakes
.
Trees grow up to 10–14 meters high. They have arching or overhanging red-brown branches and red-brown buds. Petioles
are 2–5 cm long, with few gland
s. Leaves are elliptic or oval shaped, (3–8)×(2–3.5) cm in size. Pedicels
are slender and 1.5–4 cm long. They bear white fragnant flowers of 3–3.5 cm diameter which groups by 4–6. Petals are white and oval-shaped, with a size of 2–2.5 cm. Fruits are red to yellow and are only about 1 cm in diameter; they form dense clusters and resemble cherries from a distance. Flowering occurs in spring, with fruits appearing in September–October.
.
Malus
Malus , the apples, are a genus of about 30–35 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae. Other studies go as far as 55 species including the domesticated Orchard Apple, or Table apple as it was formerly called...
known by the common names Siberian crabapple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to most of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
and for rootstock
Rootstock
A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...
. It is used for bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
in Japan. It bears plentiful fragrant white flowers and edible red to yellow fruit of about 1 cm diameter.
Distribution and habitat
Malus baccata is native to Eastern Siberia, Russian Far EastRussian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, China, Korea, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, where it is common to mixed forests on hilly slopes at elevations up to 1500 meters. The tree is found in Japan, and it has also been introduced to Canada and the US where it is mostly found around the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
Features
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
are 2–5 cm long, with few gland
Gland (botany)
In plants, a gland is defined functionally as a plant structure which secretes one or more products. This may be located on or near the plant surface and secrete externally, or be internal to the plant and secrete into a canal or reservoir...
s. Leaves are elliptic or oval shaped, (3–8)×(2–3.5) cm in size. Pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
are slender and 1.5–4 cm long. They bear white fragnant flowers of 3–3.5 cm diameter which groups by 4–6. Petals are white and oval-shaped, with a size of 2–2.5 cm. Fruits are red to yellow and are only about 1 cm in diameter; they form dense clusters and resemble cherries from a distance. Flowering occurs in spring, with fruits appearing in September–October.
Subordinate taxa
The subordinate taxa include- M. baccata var. baccata (10–14 meters tall)
- M. baccata var. daochengensis
- M. baccata var. gracilis (4–6 m)
- M. baccata var. himalaica
- M. baccata var. jinxianensis
- M. baccata var. mandshurica (Manchurian crab apple, 5–10 m)
- M. baccata var. xiaojinensis
Uses
M. baccata is used as ornament for its flowers and fruit. Fruits are edible and are eaten fresh or dried. As one of the tallest and most resistant to cold and pest species of its genus, M. baccata is used for experimental breeding and grafting of other crabapples. In particular, it is a common genetic source for M. pumila and M. asiatica in northern and north-eastern China. M. baccata var. mandshurica is used for bonsaiBonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
.