Sweet Crabapple is a native small tree in the rose family. It grows 15 to 30 feet tall with a broad open crown. Its preference is for a sunny spot with moist loamy soil but will tolerate part shade. In its southern range, it is usually found in the mountains. In spring it is covered in fragrant pink flowers. The fruits are small and bitter but can be used for making preserves or cider. Wildlife uses this tree as a food source, cover and nesting site. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to insects and diseases, especially rust. Plant at least 500 feet from cedars. Insects are aphids, leafhoppers, treehoppers, and other insects. Rabbits and deer will browse the foliage. More information on Malus .
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.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Broad; Erect; Open
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Cuneate; Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Crenate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
1½-3" long and ¾-2" across ovate yellow-green leaves are coarsely toothed, and often shallowly cleft. Undersurface is pale green
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower detail
Cymes of 2-6 flowers appear in May. Individual flowers are 1-1¾" across, consisting of 5 pink-petals that fade to white with age.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Pomes are ¾-1½" across. It is fragrant and yellowish-green or yellow at maturity, slightly juicy and sour-tasting. Fruits display from September to October.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
The bark is variable but is often reddish gray-brown, rough-textured, and covered with longitudinal scales.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Reddish gray smooth stems. Thorns can occur on the larger branches.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America, NC
Distribution
USA: AL, AR, DC, DE, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV, WY Canada: BC, ON
Wildlife value
Nectar from flowers attracts native bees and honey bees. Fruits are a food source for birds as well as raccoons, rabbits, opossum, squirrel, and foxes. Branches provide cover and nesting sites for birds and small mammals.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Small Mammals; Songbirds; Specialized Bees