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Malus pumila
Tree profile

Malus pumila

Apple, Apple Tree, Paradise Apple, Common Apple

FamilyRosaceaePlant formTreeGallery6 photos
Description

Small to medium-sized tree, 5-10 m tall, freely branching with long shoots and various types of short shoots (spurs) with a single trunk; when growing unattended in the tropics reverting to a stiff upright bush, 2-4 m tall, through reiteration of axes near the ground. Young stem and twigs tomentose.
BARK: reddish gray, thin, and irregularly fissured, while branch bark is more gray and smooth. Twigs are reddish brown to brown with scattered white lenticels; they are glabrous or pubescent. Young shoots are light gray-green to purple, terete, and densely pubescent.
LEAVES: elliptic-ovate, 4-13 cm × 3-7 cm, rounded at base, margins irregularly saw-toothed, usually densely tomentose beneath. The petioles whitish green to dull purple, and downy from short fine hairs.
FLOWERS: largely terminal on spurs, in several-flowered fascicles; pedicel and calyx usually woolly, calyx persistent in fruit; petals 5, white to pinkish, falling off after anthesis; stamens 15-20; styles 5; ovary 4-5-celled.
FRUIT: pome, globose, ellipsoid to obovoid, usually more than 5 cm in diameter, varying in colour, sweet or acid, much longer than pedicel; endocarp coriaceous; fruit pulp without stone cells.

Uses

Edible: fruit is eaten, immature fruit is used in preparing fruit salad and a little apple juice is produced from the ripe fruit,
Can be used as a rootstock for the cultivated apples, there are several named varieties.
A yellow dye is obtained from the bark.
Medicine: root bark, fruit, leaves, and flowers. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx LatinName=Malus+pumila
An ornamental tree.

Ecology

Apple Tree is native to Central Asia. It is found in woodlands,garden, secondary; sunny edge; dappled shade. In the tropics a short growth cycle requires favourable (mild) growing conditions throughout the year, as may be found close to the equator: altitude 800-1200 m (temperature 16-27 C), sunshine more than 50% of potential sunshine duration, rainfall 1600-3200 mm, relative humidity 75-85%, good soils with irrigation facilities. It succeeds in most fertile soils, preferring a moisture retentive well-drained loamy soil and grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a sunny position but succeeds in partial shade though it fruits less well in such a situation.

Management

Moderate growth rate. Best to plant apple trees during January, February, or March.Pruning, spray trees with a fungicide, fertilize prior to first irrigation.

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