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
Malus angustifolia Malus angustifolia Malus angustifolia, or southern crabapple, is a species of crabapple native to the eastern and south-central United States from Florida west to eastern Texas and north to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. "Malus angustifolia" is a tree sometimes attaining a height of 10 meters (33 feet). The trunk can have a diameter up to 25 cm (10 inches). Flowers are pink, with a pleasant scent. The fruits are up to 3 cm (1.2 inches) in diameter, and have an aromatic scent and a pear-like shape. They are astringent and acidic and not palatable when raw, but can