Malus sieversii modern apple cultivars. Unlike domesticated varieties its leaves go red in autumn: 62.2% of the trees in the wild do this compared to only 2.8% of the regular apple plant or the 2,170 English cultivated varieties. The species is now considered vulnerable to extinction. "Malus sieversii" has previously been identified as the main contributor to the genome of the cultivated apple ("Malus pumila"), on the basis of morphological, molecular, and historical evidence. A DNA analysis in 2010 confirmed "M. sieversii" as the progenitor of the cultivated apple. A third species that has been thought to have made contributions to the
Orsonwelles malus ("Corynocarpus laevigatus"). Orsonwelles malus Orsonwelles malus is a species of spider endemic to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. It was described 2002, although the first individual of "O. malus" was collected in the 1890s. With individuals exceeding , it is the largest species in the family Linyphiidae. Females range from 8.93 to 14.07 mm in total length (length of carapace + abdomen) while males range from 8.74 to 10.66 mm. "O. malus" spiders are found in northwest Kauai, in the Alakai Wilderness and Kona Nā Pali areas, at elevations of , where webs are commonly found in the non-native New