Difference between revisions of "Malus"

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'''''Malus''''', the '''apples''', is a genus of about 30–35 species of small [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s or [[shrub]]s in the family [[Rosaceae]]. Other studies go as far as 55 species <ref>{{cite journal | author=Phipps, J.B. et aL.| title=A checklist of the subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae)| journal=Can. J. Bot.| year=1990| volume=68| page=2209–2269 | pages=2209 | doi=10.1139/b90-288}}</ref> including the domesticated [[Apple|Orchard Apple]], or Table apple as it was formerly called (''M. domestica'', derived from ''[[M. sieversii]]'', syn. ''M. pumila'').  The other species and subspecies are generally known as "wild apples", "crab apples", "crabapples" or "crabs".
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The genus is native to the [[temperate]] zone of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], in [[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[North America]].
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Apple trees are small, typically 4–12 m tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3–10&nbsp;cm long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The [[flower]]s are borne in [[corymb]]s, and have five [[petal]]s, which may be white, pink or red, and are [[Plant sexuality|perfect]], with usually red stamens that produce copious [[pollen]], and an inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80 [[growing degree day]]s (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar). Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by [[insect]]s (typically [[bee]]s, which freely visit the flowers for both [[nectar]] and [[pollen]]); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. The [[honeybee]] and [[mason bee]] are the most effective{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} insect pollinators of apples.  ''Malus'' species, including domestic apples, [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridize]] freely. ''Malus'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of a large number of [[Lepidoptera]] species; see [[list of Lepidoptera that feed on Malus]].
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The [[fruit]] is a globose [[pome]], varying in size from 1–4&nbsp;cm diameter in most of the wild species, to 6&nbsp;cm in ''M. sylvestris sieversii'', 8&nbsp;cm in ''M. sylvestris domestica'', and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples; among the largest-fruited cultivars (all of which originate in North America) are 'Wolf River' and 'Stark Jumbo' . The centre of the fruit contains five [[carpel]]s arranged star-like, each containing one to two (rarely three) [[seed]]s.
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One species, ''Malus trilobata'' from southwest [[Asia]], has three- to seven-lobed leaves (superficially resembling a [[maple]] leaf) and with several structural differences in the fruit; it is often treated in a genus of its own, as ''Eriolobus trilobatus''.
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Crabapples are widely grown as ornamental trees, grown for their beautiful flowers or fruit, with numerous [[cultivar]]s selected for these qualities and for resistance to disease.
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{{Inc|
 
{{Inc|
 
Malus (Greek for apple). Rosaceae. Apple. Most botanists prefer to unite the apple and pear in the one genus Pyrus; this is the method of Bentham & Hooker in "Genera Plantarum," and of Focke in Engler & Prantl's "Pflanzenfamilien," although the recent excellent work of Schneider, "Handbuch der Laubholzkunde," keeps them distinct, as do some of the recent American authors. The evident botanical distinctions between the two groups are slight, apparently not sufficient for easy or clear determination by the unprofessional student. These differences lie in the usual presence of grit-cells in the fruits of Pyrus and their usual absence in Malus: in the hypanthium of the former being nearly closed by a cushion, and in the latter free or open; in the cavity about the stem of the fruit in Malus, a contrast which does not hold in Pyrus; and in the styles of Pyrus being distinct or nearly distinct, whereas in Malus they are more or less united. The different degrees of union of the styles has been made a basis for distinguishing the named varieties of apples among themselves, and the character does not appear to be important enough to be made the basis of generic separation. It is not impossible that the pears and apples may have had a different phylogenetic origin, but this fact itself would not be sufficient in generic description.—The apples are small trees and bushes, of some fifteen to twenty species in the North Temperate Zone. In this Cyclopedia, the cultivated apple species are described under Pyrus; the names of the leading species under Malus are as follows:
 
Malus (Greek for apple). Rosaceae. Apple. Most botanists prefer to unite the apple and pear in the one genus Pyrus; this is the method of Bentham & Hooker in "Genera Plantarum," and of Focke in Engler & Prantl's "Pflanzenfamilien," although the recent excellent work of Schneider, "Handbuch der Laubholzkunde," keeps them distinct, as do some of the recent American authors. The evident botanical distinctions between the two groups are slight, apparently not sufficient for easy or clear determination by the unprofessional student. These differences lie in the usual presence of grit-cells in the fruits of Pyrus and their usual absence in Malus: in the hypanthium of the former being nearly closed by a cushion, and in the latter free or open; in the cavity about the stem of the fruit in Malus, a contrast which does not hold in Pyrus; and in the styles of Pyrus being distinct or nearly distinct, whereas in Malus they are more or less united. The different degrees of union of the styles has been made a basis for distinguishing the named varieties of apples among themselves, and the character does not appear to be important enough to be made the basis of generic separation. It is not impossible that the pears and apples may have had a different phylogenetic origin, but this fact itself would not be sufficient in generic description.—The apples are small trees and bushes, of some fifteen to twenty species in the North Temperate Zone. In this Cyclopedia, the cultivated apple species are described under Pyrus; the names of the leading species under Malus are as follows:
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{{about|the genus Malus|other uses|Malus (disambiguation)}}
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==Cultivation==
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{{Taxobox
 
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| color = lightgreen
 
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| name = ''Malus'' - Apples and Crabapples
 
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| image = Malus toringo sargentii0.jpg
 
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| image_width = 240px
 
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| image_caption = ''Malus sargentii'' flowers
 
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Rosales]]
 
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| familia = [[Rosaceae]]
 
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| subfamilia = [[Maloideae]]
 
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| genus = '''''Malus'''''
 
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| genus_authority = [[Joseph Pitton de Tournefort|Tourn.]] ex [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
 
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| subdivision_ranks = Species
 
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| subdivision =
 
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''Malus angustifolia'' - Southern Crab<br>
 
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''Malus baccata'' - Siberian Crabapple<br>
 
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''Malus bracteata''<br>
 
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''Malus brevipes''<br>
 
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''Malus coronaria'' - Sweet Crabapple<br>
 
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''Malus sylvestris domestica'' - Orchard [[Apple]]<br>
 
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''Malus florentina''<br>
 
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''Malus floribunda'' - Japanese Crabapple<br>
 
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''Malus formosana''<br>
 
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''Malus fusca'' - Oregon Crabapple, Pacific Crabapple<br>
 
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''Malus glabrata''<br>
 
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''Malus glaucescens''<br>
 
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''Malus halliana''<br>
 
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''Malus honanensis''<br>
 
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''Malus hupehensis'' - Chinese Crabapple<br>
 
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''Malus ioensis'' - Prairie Crab<br>
 
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''Malus kansuensis''<br>
 
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''Malus lancifolia''<br>
 
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''Malus prattii''<br>
 
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''Malus prunifolia''<br>
 
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''Malus pumila'' syn. ''Malus sylvestris sieversii - synonyms of ''Malus sieversii'', [[Asian Wild Apple]] or Almaty apple<br>
 
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''Malus rockii''<br>
 
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''Malus sargentii''<br>
 
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''Malus sieboldii''<br>
 
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''Malus sieversii'' - [[Malus sieversii|Asian Wild Apple]]<br>
 
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''Malus sikkimensis''<br>
 
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''Malus spectabilis''<br>
 
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''Malus sublobata''<br>
 
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''Malus sylvestris'' - [[Malus sylvestris|European Wild Apple]]<br>
 
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''Malus toringoides''<br>
 
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''Malus transitoria''<br>
 
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''Malus trilobata''<br>
 
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''Malus tschonoskii''<br>
 
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''Malus yunnanensis''<br>
 
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}}
 
  
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'''''Malus''''', the '''apples''', is a genus of about 30-35 species of small [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s or [[shrub]]s in the family [[Rosaceae]], including the domesticated [[Apple|Orchard Apple]], or Table apple as it was formerly called (''M. sylvestris domestica'', derived from ''M. sylvestris sieversii'', syn. ''M. pumila'').  The other species and subspecies are generally known as "wild apples", "crab apples", "crabapples" or "crabs", this name being derived from their small and tart [[fruit]].  Many consider these apples unpalatable, but others enjoy eating them raw or using them for cooking or juicing. Cultivars such as 'Whitney' have been independently domesticated for better fruit quality.
 
  
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The genus is native to the [[temperate]] zone of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], in [[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[North America]].
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===Propagation===
  
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[[Image:Malus sikkimensis0.jpg|left|thumb|''Malus sikkimensis'' fruit]]
 
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Apple trees are small, typically 4-12 m tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3-10 cm long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The [[flower]]s are borne in [[corymb]]s, and have five [[petal]]s, which may be white, pink or red, and are [[Plant sexuality|perfect]], with usually red stamens that produce copious [[pollen]], and an inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50-80 [[growing degree day]]s (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar). Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by [[insect]]s (typically [[bee]]s, which freely visit the flowers for both [[nectar]] and [[pollen]]); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. The [[honeybee]] and [[mason bee]] are the most effective insect pollinators of apples.  ''Malus'' species, including domestic apples, [[hybrid]]ize freely. ''Malus'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of a large number of [[Lepidoptera]] species; see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Malus]].
 
  
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[[Image:Malus fruit.jpg|left|thumb|Crabapple fruit are mostly red, but some, such as this cultivar 'Golden Hornet', are yellow]]
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===Pests and diseases===
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The [[fruit]] is a globose [[pome]], varying in size from 1-4 cm diameter in most of the wild species, to 6 cm in ''M. sylvestris sieversii'', 8 cm in ''M. sylvestris domestica'', and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples; among the largest-fruited cultivars (all of which originate in North America) are 'Wolf River' and 'Stark Jumbo' . The centre of the fruit contains five [[carpel]]s arranged star-like, each containing one to two (rarely three) [[seed]]s.
 
  
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One species, ''Malus trilobata'' from southwest [[Asia]], has three- to seven- lobed leaves (superficially resembling a [[maple]] leaf) and with several structural differences in the fruit; it is often treated in a genus of its own, as ''Eriolobus trilobatus''. <br clear = left>
 
  
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===Uses===
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==Varieties==
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[[Image:ripe crab apple fruit.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Ripe crabapple fruit]]
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''[[Malus angustifolia]]''—Southern Crab<br>
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For ''Malus sylvestris domestica'', see [[Apple]]. The fruit of the other species is not an important crop in most areas, being extremely sour and (in some species) woody, and is rarely eaten raw for this reason. However, crabapples are an excellent source of [[pectin]], and their juice can be made into a ruby-coloured [[jelly]] with a full, spicy flavour<ref>{{cite book|last=Rombauer|first=I.|authorlink=Irma S. Rombauer|coauthors=Becker, M. R., & Becker, E.|title=All About Canning & Preserving ([[The Joy of Cooking]] series)|publisher=Scribner|location=New York|origyear=2002|pages=p. 72|id=ISBN 0-7432-1502-8}}</ref>. A small percentage of crab apples in [[cider]] makes a more interesting flavour.
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''[[Malus asiatica]]''<br>
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''[[Malus baccata]]''—Siberian Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus bracteata]]''<br>
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''[[Malus brevipes]]''<br>
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''[[Malus coronaria]]''—Sweet Crabapple<br>
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''[[Apple|Malus domestica]]''—Orchard Apple<br>
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''[[Malus florentina]]''<br>
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''[[Malus floribunda]]''—Japanese Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus formosana]]''<br>
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''[[Malus fusca]]''—Oregon Crabapple, Pacific Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus glabrata]]''<br>
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''[[Malus glaucescens]]''<br>
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''[[Malus halliana]]''<br>
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''[[Malus honanensis]]''<br>
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''[[Malus hopa]]''—Flowering Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus hupehensis]]''—Chinese Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus ioensis]]''—Prairie Crab<br>
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''[[Malus kansuensis]]''<br>
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''[[Malus lancifolia]]''<br>
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''[[Malus ×micromalus]]''—Midget Crabapple<br>
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''[[Malus prattii]]''<br>
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''[[Malus prunifolia]]''<br>
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''Malus pumila'' syn. ''Malus sylvestris sieversii—synonyms of ''Malus sieversii'', Asian Wild Apple or Almaty apple<br/>
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''[[Malus rockii]]''<br>
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''[[Malus sargentii]]''<br>
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''[[Malus sieboldii]]''<br>
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''[[Malus sieversii]]''—Asian Wild Apple or Almaty Apple<br>
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''[[Malus sikkimensis]]''<br>
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''[[Malus spectabilis]]''<br>
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''[[Malus sublobata]]''<br>
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''[[Malus sylvestris]]''—European Wild Apple<br>
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''[[Malus toringoides]]''<br>
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''[[Malus transitoria]]''<br>
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''[[Malus trilobata]]''<br>
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''[[Malus tschonoskii]]''<br>
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''[[Malus yunnanensis]]''
  
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Crabapples are widely grown as ornamental trees, grown for their beautiful flowers or fruit, with numerous [[cultivar]]s selected for these qualities and for resistance to disease.
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==Gallery==
  
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Some crab apples are used as rootstocks for domestic apples to add beneficial characteristics. For example, Siberian crab rootstock is often used to give additional cold hardiness to the combined plant for orchards in cold northern areas.
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<gallery perrow=5>
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Image:Malus sikkimensis0.jpg|''Malus sikkimensis'' fruit
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They are also used as [[pollinator]]s in apple [[orchard]]s. Varieties of crab apple are selected to bloom contemporaneously with the apple variety in an orchard planting, and the crabs are planted every sixth or seventh tree, or limbs of a crab tree are grafted onto some of the apple trees. In emergencies a bucket or drum bouquet of crab apple flowering branches are placed near the beehives as orchard pollenizers. See also [[Fruit tree pollination]].
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Image:WinterRedFleshCrab2.jpg|Winter Red Flesh, an edible crab variety producing intense red jelly.
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Image:Malus fruit.jpg|Crabapple fruit are mostly red, but some, such as this cultivar 'Golden Hornet', are yellow.
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Image:Upload.png| photo
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?7215 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Malus'']
 
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*[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=119570 Flora of China: ''Malus'']
 
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*[http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/articles/fruits_and_nuts/drescra.html Virginia Cooperative Extension - Disease resistant crabapples]
 
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*[http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/00-011.htm Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food - Crabapple pollenizers for apples]
 
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
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{{Commons|Malus}}
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
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==External links==
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*{{wplink}}
  
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[[Category:Maloideae]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Plants and pollinators]]
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__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 03:15, 30 December 2009


Malus floribunda (Japanese crabapple)


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Malus >


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Malus, the apples, is 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 [1] including the domesticated Orchard Apple, or Table apple as it was formerly called (M. domestica, derived from M. sieversii, syn. M. pumila). The other species and subspecies are generally known as "wild apples", "crab apples", "crabapples" or "crabs".

The genus is native to the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, Asia and North America.

Apple trees are small, typically 4–12 m tall at maturity, with a dense, twiggy crown. The leaves are 3–10 cm long, alternate, simple, with a serrated margin. The flowers are borne in corymbs, and have five petals, which may be white, pink or red, and are perfect, with usually red stamens that produce copious pollen, and an inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80 growing degree days (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar). Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by insects (typically bees, which freely visit the flowers for both nectar and pollen); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. The honeybee and mason bee are the most effective[citation needed] insect pollinators of apples. Malus species, including domestic apples, hybridize freely. Malus species are used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Malus.

The fruit is a globose pome, varying in size from 1–4 cm diameter in most of the wild species, to 6 cm in M. sylvestris sieversii, 8 cm in M. sylvestris domestica, and even larger in certain cultivated orchard apples; among the largest-fruited cultivars (all of which originate in North America) are 'Wolf River' and 'Stark Jumbo' . The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged star-like, each containing one to two (rarely three) seeds.

One species, Malus trilobata from southwest Asia, has three- to seven-lobed leaves (superficially resembling a maple leaf) and with several structural differences in the fruit; it is often treated in a genus of its own, as Eriolobus trilobatus.

Crabapples are widely grown as ornamental trees, grown for their beautiful flowers or fruit, with numerous cultivars selected for these qualities and for resistance to disease.


Read about Malus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Malus (Greek for apple). Rosaceae. Apple. Most botanists prefer to unite the apple and pear in the one genus Pyrus; this is the method of Bentham & Hooker in "Genera Plantarum," and of Focke in Engler & Prantl's "Pflanzenfamilien," although the recent excellent work of Schneider, "Handbuch der Laubholzkunde," keeps them distinct, as do some of the recent American authors. The evident botanical distinctions between the two groups are slight, apparently not sufficient for easy or clear determination by the unprofessional student. These differences lie in the usual presence of grit-cells in the fruits of Pyrus and their usual absence in Malus: in the hypanthium of the former being nearly closed by a cushion, and in the latter free or open; in the cavity about the stem of the fruit in Malus, a contrast which does not hold in Pyrus; and in the styles of Pyrus being distinct or nearly distinct, whereas in Malus they are more or less united. The different degrees of union of the styles has been made a basis for distinguishing the named varieties of apples among themselves, and the character does not appear to be important enough to be made the basis of generic separation. It is not impossible that the pears and apples may have had a different phylogenetic origin, but this fact itself would not be sufficient in generic description.—The apples are small trees and bushes, of some fifteen to twenty species in the North Temperate Zone. In this Cyclopedia, the cultivated apple species are described under Pyrus; the names of the leading species under Malus are as follows:

M. sylvestris, Mill.—Pyrus Mains.

M. prunifolia, Borkh. - P. prunifolia.

M. baccata, Borkh.- P. baccata.

M. coronaria, Mill.- P. coronaria.

M. ioensis, Brit.- P. ioensis.

M. Soulardii, Brit.-P. Soulardii.

M. angustifolia, Michx.-P. angustifolia.

M. Halliana, Koehne-P. Halliana.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Varieties

Malus angustifolia—Southern Crab
Malus asiatica
Malus baccata—Siberian Crabapple
Malus bracteata
Malus brevipes
Malus coronaria—Sweet Crabapple
Malus domestica—Orchard Apple
Malus florentina
Malus floribunda—Japanese Crabapple
Malus formosana
Malus fusca—Oregon Crabapple, Pacific Crabapple
Malus glabrata
Malus glaucescens
Malus halliana
Malus honanensis
Malus hopa—Flowering Crabapple
Malus hupehensis—Chinese Crabapple
Malus ioensis—Prairie Crab
Malus kansuensis
Malus lancifolia
Malus ×micromalus—Midget Crabapple
Malus prattii
Malus prunifolia
Malus pumila syn. Malus sylvestris sieversii—synonyms of Malus sieversii, Asian Wild Apple or Almaty apple
 Malus rockii
Malus sargentii
Malus sieboldii
Malus sieversii—Asian Wild Apple or Almaty Apple
Malus sikkimensis
Malus spectabilis
Malus sublobata
Malus sylvestris—European Wild Apple
Malus toringoides
Malus transitoria
Malus trilobata
Malus tschonoskii
Malus yunnanensis

Gallery

  • Malus sikkimensis fruit

  • Winter Red Flesh, an edible crab variety producing intense red jelly.

  • Crabapple fruit are mostly red, but some, such as this cultivar 'Golden Hornet', are yellow.

  • photo

References

  1. ↑ Phipps, J.B. et aL. (1990). "A checklist of the subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae)". Can. J. Bot. 68: 2209. doi:10.1139/b90-288. 

External links


Retrieved from "http://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?title=Malus&oldid=92025"