Malus hupehensis

Tea apple (Malus hupehensis )

The tea - apple (Malus hupehensis ) is a species of the genus of apples (Malus ) in the rose family ( Rosaceae ). It is native to China, Taiwan and Assam.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaf

The tea - apple grows as a tree reaching heights of growth of about 8 meters. The tree crown is wide; the lower branches are long and grow horizontally; the upper branches are increasing. The bark of the branches terete is initially dark green and pubescent, purple or purplish - brown later and bald. The bark is dull orange- brown and has thick vertical plates. The dark - purple, egg-shaped buds have bud scales that are on the edge ciliated sparse.

The alternate arranged leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The 1-3 cm long petiole is initially sparsely hairy fluffy and verkahlt soon. The simple leaf blade is ovate or ovate -elliptic, usually with wedge-shaped or rarely rounded Spreitenbasis and tapered at the top end at a length of 5 to 10 inches and a width from 2.5 to 4 centimeters. The leaf margin serrate pointed. The leaf surfaces are initially sparsely hairy fluffy and verkahlen soon. The early falling stipules are linear - lanceolate with sharpened upper end, herbaceous to membranous, sparsely pubescent with sparse glandular - toothed edges and a length of 5 to 6 mm.

Inflorescence and flower

The flowering period extends into China from April to May Schirmrispige the inflorescence has a diameter of 4-6 cm and contain four to six flowers. The early falling bracts are membranous, lanceolate sharpened top end and the beginning sparsely glandular - toothed edges. The 3-6 cm long peduncle is initially sparsely hairy shaggy and verkahlt soon.

The hermaphrodite flowers are fünfzählig and radial symmetry with a double perianth. The bell-shaped flowers cup ( hypanthium ) is outside hairy hairless or sparsely villous. The five bare outside and inside fluffy hairy sepals are most as long as the flower cups and triangular- ovate with smooth edge and sharpened or pointed at the upper end of a length of 4 to 5 mm. In a knospigen flower the petals are pink, in a blossoming pure white. The corolla has a diameter of 3.5 to 4 cm. The five somewhat overlapping, short spiked petals are obovate with a rounded upper end at a length of about 1.5 cm. The 20 unequal stamens are about half as long as the petals. The under constant ovary is three or vierkammerig. There are two ovules per ovary chamber available. The usually three, rarely four pens are slightly longer than the stamens and hairy at the base. In China, the fruits ripen from August to September.

Fruit

The bare fruit stalk has a length of 3 to 6 cm. The apple fruit is ellipsoidal with a diameter of about 1 centimeter or nearly spherical. The yellowish-green when ripe and red tinted fruit has a sour taste. The early falling sepals left at the top of the fruit in each case a small leaf scar.

Chromosomes

The chromosome number is 2n = 51, 68

Dissemination

The tea - apple is widely used in China and is also in the central Taiwan and Assam home. It grows on slopes and in the valleys of the thicket. It grows in the mountains at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 meters in altitude 0-2900 meters. In Central Europe it is rarely planted.

System

This species was first published in 1910 under the name ( basionym ) Pyrus hupehensis by Renato Pampanini in Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano, ns, 17 (2 ), pp. 291. Alfred Rehder they presented in 1933 under the name Malus hupehensis in the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, Volume 14, No. 3, page 207 in the genus Malus. Other synonyms for Malus hupehensis ( Pamp. ) Rehder are Malus theifera Rehder, Malus domestica var hupehensis ( Pamp. ) Likhonos, Malus hupehensis fo. rosea ( Rehder ) Rehder, Malus theifera fo. rosea Rehder. The basionym of this type can not be the synonym Pyrus hupehensis ( CKSchneider ) Bean 1933 Sorbus hupehensis CKSchneider var hupehensis be confused.

Malus hupehensis belongs to the section in the genus Malus Gymnomeles.

Use

The fruits are eaten raw or cooked. The leaves are used as a substitute for black / green tea. This tea is delicious and thirst-quenching. It is mainly used in China and for the leaves of Jinsha be (formerly called Shasi ) exported.

With a suitable climate Malus hupehensis is used due to its beautiful flowers and fruits as ornamental tree.

In Hubei and Sichuan Malus hupehensis is used as a base for culture of apples.

Swell

• Gu Cuizhi & Stephen A. Spongberg: Malus: Malus hupehensis, pp. 179, In: Wu Zheng -yi, Peter H. Raven & Deyuan Hong (Editor): Flora of China, Volume 9 - Pittosporaceae through Connaraceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 1 May 2003. ISBN 1-930723-14-8 (Section Description, distribution and use )