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Apple or crab apple? How to tell them apart
Malus · Malus sylvestris
How to tell them apart – apple: larger, sweet apples, leaves that stay felted underneath, and twigs without thorns; crab apple: small, often thorny apple tree with hairless leaves and small, sour apples 2–3 cm across.
How do you recognise them?
- Apple
- Fruit tree with oval leaves that are felted underneath, pinkish-white blossom and apples.
- Compared with crab apple: larger, sweet apples, leaves that stay felted underneath, and twigs without thorns.
- Crab apple
- Small, often thorny apple tree with hairless leaves and small, sour apples 2–3 cm across.
| Apple | Crab apple | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, oval, 5–10 cm, toothed; grey-felted underneath (almost hairless in the wild crab apple). | Alternate, 4–8 cm, oval to round with a short pointed tip, scalloped to toothed; mature leaves hairless on both sides. |
| Flowering | Pink buds opening to white flowers in April–May (April–May). | White to pale pink flowers in clusters, in April–May (May). |
| Fruit | Apples; on ornamental crab apples, small fruits (1–3 cm) that hang on for a long time. | Yellowish-green apples 2–3 cm across, sometimes flushed red; sour and astringent. |
| Bark | Greyish-brown, flaking in plates. | Grey-brown, flaking; short shoots often end in a thorny point. |
| Shape and height | Fruit tree, 3–10 m | Broadleaf tree, 5–10 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, naturalised | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July–August and December–March | November–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Crab apple is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Apple
- Plant profile: Crab apple
- Apple: when and how to prune
- Crab apple: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.