Malus sylvestris Malus sylvestris Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, is a species of the genus "Malus", native to Europe. Its scientific name means "forest apple" and the truly wild tree has thorns. Wild apple has an expanded crown and often appear more like a bush than a tree. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 10 m tall with trunk diameters of 23–45 cm. Due to its weak competitiveness and high light requirement, wild apple exist mostly at the wet edge of forests, in farmland hedges or on very extreme, marginal sites. The tree is rather rare but native
Malus baccata by 4–6. Petals are white and egg-shaped, approximately 2–2.5 cm (0.8-1.0 inches) long. Fruits are red to yellow and spherical, only about 1 cm (0.4 inches) in diameter; they form dense clusters and resemble cherries from a distance. Flowering occurs in spring, with fruits appearing in September–October. The subordinate taxa include "Malus baccata" is used as ornament for its flowers and fruit. Fruits are edible and are eaten fresh or dried. As one of the tallest and most resistant to cold and pest species of its genus, "M. baccata" is used for experimental breeding and grafting of other crabapples and