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Crab Apple
(12 votes, average: 3.58 out of 5)
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Crab Apple
It can be hard to know if you have found a true Crab apple or a hybrid as different species of apple will happily cross pollinate, one way is if the apple is too sour and sharp to eat, the sharper the taste, the nearer it is to a true Crab apple.
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Wild Apple |
| Scientific Name | Malus sylvestris |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Nov |
Please note that each and every hedgerow item you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Leaves
Dark green, oval leaves with toothed edges.
Flowers
A white to pink/red, five petaled flower that blooms from Spring to early Summer. The fruit is ready sometime in late Summer or Autumn.
Fruit
Small, tough apples with a very sharp taste and full of pectin.
Stem
The twigs/stems can have sharp thorns.
Trunk
The trunk can become twisted and gnarled especially when exposed.
Habitat
Hedgerows and mixed woodland quite often individually.
Possible Confusion
Other apples.
Smell
The flowers have a kind of bitter almond smell.
Taste
The apples are very sharp and unless trying the ‘don’t pull a face’ while eating them test, are best used cooked.
Frequency
Fairly common.
Collecting
The best way to collect Crab apples is to cover the floor in canvas and shake the tree or simply collect the windfalls.
The leaves can also be used to make a pleasant tea.
Medicinal Uses
The fruit is an astringent and laxative.
Other Facts
Crab apples contain a lot of pectin and are great for helping jellies to set or making crab apple cheese.
The wood burns well with a pleasant smell and the bark was used in the past to create a reddish/yellow dye.
