Virginia Tech Dendrology

apple Rosaceae Malus spp. Mill. symbol: MALUS
Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical to ovate, 1 1/2 to 3 inches, pinnately veined, finely serrated, sometimes borne on spur shoots, green above and paler, white pubescent below and on the petiole.
Flower: Perfect, showy, may be white to red in color, with 5 petals for each flower; appear in the spring, usually in umbels.
Fruit: Pomes of various sizes and color (cultivar dependent) ranging from yellow to red when ripe in the fall.
Twig: Moderate in thickness, brown to gray, rapid growth usually gray hairy, generally many spur shoots; buds plump ovate, gray hairy.
Bark: Variable, generally smooth when young, later thin and scaly.
Form: Generally poor, with twisted trunks and low branching; spur shoots are prominent. When unpruned, numerous sucker shoots form along trunk and in crown.
Looks like: Callery pear - common pear - hawthorn - plumleaf crab apple

Additional Range Information: Malus spp. is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information