Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris
The crab apple (Malus sylvestris), also known as European Wild Apple, is a kind of deciduous tree from the kind of apples (Malus ) in the rose family ( Rosaceae ). He is perhaps the root form of the native culture apple.
The wood apple is the Tree of the Year 2013 in Germany.
Description
The Crab Apple is a deciduous tree reaching heights of growth of up to 10 m; mostly it grows, however, as a large shrub with stature heights of 3 to 5 m. The crown is dense; the branches and twigs have more or less verdornende short shoots. The bark is gray-brown, longitudinally fissured Schuppenborke. The buds are woolly. The only very slightly hairy to almost bare leaves are egg - roundish, crenate sawn and 4-8 cm long.
In April to May, the pinkish- white flowers appear on leafless stalks. The spherical fruits are yellow-green with red blush, have a diameter of only 2 to 4 cm, are tart sour and woody.
Ecology
The flowers are proterogyne, nectar leading disk flowers; as the mature scars several days before the anthers, spontaneous self-pollination is at least difficult if not impossible; The flowers are pollinated by Diptera and Hymenoptera (especially bees). Nectar and pollen donor of particular value. Shallow roots. The fruit contains the anthocyanin glycoside Idaein ( from cyanidin and galactose ). Apple seeds are slightly toxic by amygdalin!
Dissemination and locations
The natural range of the wood apple is probably Europe to Asia Minor, where the southern and eastern borders of the distribution area is not safe determinable. The main distribution area, the lowland areas in Central Europe apply. In the Alps, the Holzapfel occurs up to an altitude of 1100 m above sea level. He prefers floodplains and locations in the area of the wet boundary of the forest. Since these natural sites have declined by human intervention, the Holzapfel is threatened in its existence.
The crab apple grows scattered in woodland, on stone bars, in hedges and the bushes, on fresh, nutrient -and base- rich, often profound clay and stone floor in humid mild climate situation. After Ellenberg he is a half- light plant, a freshness indicator, a weak acid and weak base pointer, growing on moderately nitrogen-rich sites and a Klassencharakterart the summer deciduous forests and thickets ( Querco - Fagetea ).
Distinguish it from other types
Malus sylvestris is a putative ancestral form of culture apple (Malus domestica ), wherein a junction with Malus praecox and / or penalty dasyphylia seems possible. Recent genetic studies have, however, point to a descent from the Asian wild apple (Malus sieversii ).
It proves to be very difficult to distinguish the wood apple of feral forms of culture apples. It is even debatable whether it Malus sylvestris still exists, or whether it is merely a more or less close to wild form of cultural apple while Holzapfel.
A differentiation is given on leaves and fruits: The underside of the leaves of the wood apple has little or no hair in contrast to the cultivated apple on. The Holzapfel has very little, often wrinkled fruit having a diameter of less than 4 cm. The September mature fruits have a very acidic to bitter taste, which is due to the high content of tannins. Another feature of the fruits are very small core and the flat stem and calyx pits.
Meaning and usage
Crab Apples were already being used at the time of stilt houses. The fruits are parched or boiled edible. Since the spread of the culture of apple wood apple has no economic significance.