Malus pumila

It's a Paradise Apple!

Malus pumila is not a native tree to Michigan (the only non-native on our list!). It is native to Eurasia and has undergone many modifications as a result of selection and hybridization events. See here.

You may be most familiar with M. pumila in gardens/orchards--it's our domestic apple! If you look closely, you may see it naturalized in places like old fields or roadsides. People tossing apple cores is a major means of dispersal, and why you may see these trees in odd places.

Michigan is 3rd in the nation for apple production. Did you know that apple trees within a specific variety are genetic clones? Grafting (transplanting buds) is commonplace with M. pumila to be able to maintain the integrity of the cultivar.

Sweet crabapple, Malus coronaria is a native species. It has thorns, fragrant white flowers, and lobed leaves. This spring, keep your eyes peeled in May for its blooms, and don’t confuse it with domestic apple or hawthorn!

Finally, apple blossoms have been Michigan’s state flower since 1897, just after they were used to represent our state at the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893.