Crab Apple / Wild Apple

[Marmalady]

Are all wild apples Crabapples?

With permission, we picked some apples from a wild tree in a farmers field. They are very small, round green with a reddish tinge

They have made the most wonderfully coloured clear jelly. Great flavour too

So when i sell it, can i call it Crab Apple or should it be Wild Apple?

[gregorach]

Tricky question... I think technically crab apples are pure wild apples, but most wild apples you see are actually "wildings" - sort of semi-feral crossbreds of crab apples and domesticated varieties.

To be honest, I wouldn't worry about it. Call it whichever one you think will sell best.

[GeorgeSalt]

Our native crab apples is Malus sylvestris, and domestic apples are Malus domesticus. But it's complicated by several other crab apple species that may have been introduced, and by the rather promiscuous natire of them all and the possibility of hybrid crosses.

If they're small and probably a bit woody fleshed, I'd go with crab apple. I'm not sure there are any apples that could be descrobed as wild.. feral at best

Well done for finding them, my usual trees haven't done very much this year.