Wild Sweet Crabapple

Crabapples trees are smaller trees with smaller fruit than the usual apple tree. Typically found around the great lakes, it can be found in other regions like the south. The bark is gray and fissured as it grows, and its wood is useful for handles and other small household items.

The bitter crabapple fruit, which usually comes in September, is often eaten by deer, raccoons, and squirrels. In the spring the crabapple tree blooms in small but abundant flowers that are white with a pink tinge, which makes it very attractive to birds that also eat the fruit and nest in its branches. A crabapple tree's trunk is usually short and twisted, with its branches spreading out into a wide crown. Although usually planted as an ornamental, the fruit can also be made into jelly and cider, but its usually not eaten raw by humans due to its bitter taste.

Branches In Time: Notable and Historic Trees of Old Washington Historic State Park. Little Rock, AR. Arkansas State Parks, 2001.