'JFS-KW5', commonly sold as Royal Raindrops®, is a flowering crabapple tree. It is a cultivar of Malus, a genus of over 50 species of flowering deciduous trees or shrubs in the Roseaceae (rose) family. This cultivar is disease-resistant with a dense rounded canopy, magenta-pink spring flowers, and edible fruit. At maturity, it will reach a height of 20 feet with a 16 foot spread. It comes from Malus transitoria 'Schmidtcutleaf' and is an open-pollinated seedling. Royal Raindrops crabapple is easy to grow and does best sited in full sun, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, with consistent moisture. It is tolerant of a range of soil types, air pollution and drought once established. If pruning is required, prune this tree as needed in late winter. Spring pruning leaves behind fresh, open cuts where fireblight bacterium can enter. The crabapples persist on the tree into early winter and are an attractive food source for birds. Use it a specimen tree, street tree, or planted in small groups. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Crabapple diseases include scab, fire blight, rusts, leaf spot and powdery mildew. Insect pests are of lesser concern and include tent caterpillars, aphids, Japanese beetles, borers and scale. Spider mites may occur. However, Royal Raindrops crabapple has good disease resistance to the main diseases of crabapples. More information on Malus hybrids .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheCercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'Malus 'Beverly'Sassafras albidum
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 12 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Rounded; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Deeply lobed purple leaves. Young leaves have entire margins. Orange-red fall color. Retains excellent color throughout summer.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Wheel
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Magenta pink single flowers with 5 petals appear in April.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Maroon crabapples (pomes), 1/4 inch in diameter, mature in late summer and persist into winter providing food for birds.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Birds are attracted to the fruits and butterflies to the flowers.
Attracts
Butterflies; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall; Summer; Winter
Fruit type
Pome
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Small Space
Landscape theme
Edible Garden; Pollinator Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Accent; Flowering Tree; Small groups; Small Tree; Specimen; Street Tree
Garden tags
#flowering tree #easy to grow #low maintenance #small tree #disease resistant #spring flowers #magenta flowers #bird friendly #food source fall #drought tolerant #fall color red #fall color orange #fall interest #food source winter #wildlife friendly #edible fruits