Malus tschonoskii Malus tschonoskii Malus tschonoskii (common names Chonosuki crab and pillar apple) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Japan. The specific epithet "tschonoskii" refers to the 19th century Japanese botanist Sugawa Tschonoski. "Malus tschonoskii" is a strong-growing deciduous tree, it has a distinctive columnar habit and is particularly noted for its autumn colouring, when the glossy mid-green leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, purple and scarlet. Single white flowers, tinged pink, appear in May and are followed by rounded red-flushed yellow-green crabapples. "Malus tschonoskii" grows well in many soil types, doing best in
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