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 transitoria Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is also used as rootstock for other apples. Malus transitoria Malus transitoria, the cut-leaf crabapple, is a species of flowering plant in the crabapple genus "Malus" of the family Rosaceae. It is native to China. The Latin "transitoria" means "short-lived". The name "cut-leaf" refers to the shape of the leaves. "Malus transitoria" is a deciduous tree growing to tall by wide. The deeply divided leaves turn yellow in autumn. It produces abundant white flowers, and small yellow fruits 8 mm in diameter. Varieties include: "Malus transitoria" is cultivated as an ornamental tree, for its