The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Malus sylvestris
Also called Crab Apple, Pommier Sauvage, European Crabapple, European Wild Apple
Malus sylvestris is the European wild crab apple, a small deciduous tree native from central Europe to western Asia, usually grown for wildlife, hedging or ornamental interest rather than as a dessert apple. It needs full sun and is usually planted in the open garden, not indoors.
Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus. Its scientific name means "forest apple", reflecting its habitat. It is native from central Europe to western Asia.
The tree is widespread throughout Europe, with the exception of the extreme north and south. Additionally, it is also distributed in Anatolia and further into the south Caucasus. It occurs in a scattered distribution pattern as single individuals or in small groups. Due to its weak competitiveness and high light requirement, the wild apple is found mostly at sites where competition is reduced, such as the wet edge of forests, in wood pasture, farmland hedges or on very extreme, marginal sites. In the British Isles it occurs throughout Ireland, England and Wales and with reduced frequency in Scotland. In Scotland, it is most commonly found in woodlands and wood pastures.
Pillar Apple · Southern crab apple · Sweet crab apple · Japanese Crabapple · Oregon Crab Apple · Hall crab apple · Chinese crab apple · Caucasus Apple · Plumleaf crab apple · Sargent's apple · Apple · Asiatic apple
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Malus sylvestris by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
