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Arboretum
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Class: The fruit of the crabapple is called a crabapple. The apples are deep red, rounded, and flattened, with long, slender, red, stalks. They are about 3/8 of an inch in diameter, and grow in clusters, staying on the tree long after the leaves fall. The crabapples, unlike apples, are always bitter, even when overripe. Crabapples are edible and can be used to make crabapple jelly. The bark of a crabapple is purple-brown when young, although it is orange-brown when freshly exposed, and flakes in rectangular pieces when the bark comes off. As the plates of bark appear, the color becomes more grayish-brown. The crabapple grows to about 20 ft. tall. It is deciduous (it loses its leaves in the winter and fall) and has a broadly spreading shape. Many crabapple trees have spurs or thorns near the base of the tree. The leaves can be elliptical (wide at the center, narrow on both ends) or ovate (widest near the bottom). The blade can be up to 4 in. long and 2.25 in. across. They are taper pointed. The leaves are simple (one per bud) and alternate (they are not directly across form each other on the branch). They are dark green and smooth on top, with fine teeth. Some species have woolly bottoms, but ours does not. Crabapples are deciduous. The twigs on our tree are thin, with little nubs on the sides.
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