Malus prunifolia (Willd.) Borkh.

Species

Angiosperms > Rosales > Rosaceae > Malus

Characteristics

Trees, 30–80(–100) dm. Stems 5–20 cm diam.; bark purplish brown or gray-brown, peeling irregularly; young branches purplish brown and densely puberulous, becoming grayish purple or grayish brown and glabrous at maturity; flowering shoots producing spurs, (5–)10–20(–35) mm. Buds purplish brown, ovoid, 5–7 mm, scale margins sparsely pubescent. Leaves convolute in bud; isomorphic; stipules deciduous, lanceolate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate; petiole 10–50 mm, tomentose; blade elliptic or ovate, (3.5–)5–9.5(–11) × (2–)4–5(–8) cm, base broadly cuneate, margins unlobed, acutely serrate or serrulate, sometimes doubly serrate, apex acuminate or acute, sometimes cuspidate, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial puberulent or subglabrous. Panicles umbel-like; peduncles 0–2 mm; bracteoles deciduous, rare, ?± middle of pedicel?, filiform, 3–4 mm. Pedicels 20–35 mm, puberulous. Flowers (30–)40–50 mm diam.; hypanthium puberulent; sepals triangular-lanceolate or lanceolate, 7–9 mm, longer than tube, apex acuminate, surfaces puberulent; petals white, obovate or elliptic, 25–30 mm, claws 1–2 mm, margins entire, apex rounded; stamens ca. 20, 8–10 mm, anthers yellow before dehiscence; styles 4 or 5, basally connate 1/3 length, 9–11 mm, longer than stamens, proximally tomentose. Pomes yellow to dark red, ovoid or oblong, 20–25(–34) mm diam., cores enclosed at apex; sepals persistent, reflexed (erect), ?raised, swollen at base?; sclereids sparse surrounding core. Seeds dark brown. 2n = 34, 51.
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Trees small, to 3–8 m tall. Branchlets grayish purple or grayish brown when old, terete, robust, densely puberulous when young, glabrous when old; buds purplish brown, ovoid, sparsely pubescent. Stipules caducous, lanceolate, small, 4–5 mm, membranous, margin glandular serrate when young, apex acuminate; petiole 1–5 cm, initially densely puberulous, glabrescent; leaf blade ovate or elliptic, 5–9 × 4–5 cm, pubescent along veins when young, pubescent only along midvein or subglabrous when old, base broadly cuneate, margin serrulate, apex acuminate or acute. Corymb umbel-like, 4–8 cm in diam., 4–10-flowered; bracts caducous, linear-lanceolate, membranous, sparsely pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate. Pedicel 2–3.5 cm; puberulous. Flowers 4–5 cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially puberulous. Sepals lanceolate or triangular-lanceolate, 7–9 mm, slightly longer than hypanthium, both surfaces puberulous, margin entire, apex acuminate. Petals white, pink in bud, obovate or elliptic, 2.5–3 cm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens 20, unequal, ca. 1/3 as long as petals. Ovary 4-or 5-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 4(or 5), longer than stamens, tomentose basally. Pome yellow, red, ovoid, 2–2.5 cm in diam., with cavity at base; fruiting pedicel 2–3.5 cm, puberulous; sepals persistent. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 34*, 51*.
A deciduous tree. It grows 10 m tall. It is a broad spreading shape. The bark is purple-brown to grey-brown. It flakes into rectangular plates. The bark is red-brown when freshly exposed. The leaves are narrowly oval and 10 cm long by 6 cm wide. They are dark green and have teeth. The flower buds are pink. The flowers are white. They are 4 cm across and have a scent. They occur in clusters of up to 10. The fruit are rounded and bright red. They are 2.5 cm across. They are woolly sepals at the top which persist.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 8.0
Mature height (meter) 7.0 - 8.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Temperate. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. It is resistant to frost and drought. In north China it grows from sea level to 1,300 m above sea level.
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Slopes and plains; from sea level to 1,300 metres.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 4-7
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 3-6

Usage

The fruit are eaten fresh. They are also preserved in sugar.
Uses breeding drinks eating food medicinal ornamental rootstock timber wood
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment stratification
Minimum temperature (C°) -35
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Malus prunifolia world distribution map, present in Canada, China, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:726369-1
WFO ID wfo-0001131646
COL ID -
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Pyrus prunifolia Malus prunifolia Malus domestica subsp. prunifolia Malus prunifolia var. obliquipedicellata