Malus baccata

Malus baccata is also known as the Siberian crab. It makes an excellent choice if you want a hardy garden tree for a difficult situation.

In spring the tree produces a fine show of fragrant white blossom in great profusion. In autumn clusters of small red / orange fruitlets are borne.

History

Malus baccata is native to northern Asia, a region with exceptionally cold winters and often hot summers. 

Its excellent cold-hardiness and general disease-resistance have made Malus baccata a popular starting point in apple and crab-apple breeding programmes. It is also used as a rootstock by apple growers in colder zones - it does not have much dwarfing effect on the scion variety, but it does make it more likely to survive harsh winters.

Malus baccata characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
• Self-fertile?Self-fertile
• Pollinating othersGood
• Pick seasonEarly
• Picking monthAugust
• Picking periodmid-August
• Keeping1 week
• Food usesCulinary
• Country of originRussia
• Fruit colourOrange / Red

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  Malus transitoria
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