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
Fruit tree Fruit tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by humans and some animals — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term 'fruit tree' is limited to those that provide fruit for human food. Types of fruits are described and defined elsewhere (see Fruit), but would include "fruit" in a culinary sense, as well as some nut-bearing trees, such as walnuts. The scientific study and the cultivation of fruits is called pomology, which divides fruits