Malus trilobata Malus trilobata Malus trilobata, the Lebanese wild apple, erect crab apple or three-lobed apple tree, is a species in the family Rosaceae in the genus "Malus". Some authorities place it in the segregate genus "Eriolobus", as "Eriolobus trilobatus". The distribution of "Malus trilobata" in Asia includes West and South Anatolia, Syria, Lebanon and North Israel, while in Europe its distribution encompasses the east section of Greek Thrace (Evros Prefecture) and southeastern Bulgaria. Surviving trees in Lebanon can be found in the Mount Lebanon Range, at altitudes of . The last remaining forest community of the endemic wild apple in the
Malus are borne in corymbs, and have five petals, which may be white, pink or red, and are perfect, with usually red stamens that produce copious pollen, and a half-inferior ovary; flowering occurs in the spring after 50–80 growing degree days (varying greatly according to subspecies and cultivar). Apples require cross-pollination between individuals by insects (typically bees, which freely visit the flowers for both nectar and pollen); all are self-sterile, and (with the exception of a few specially developed cultivars) self-pollination is impossible, making pollinating insects essential. Several "Malus" species, including domestic apples, hybridize freely. They are used as food plants