Thomas G. Ranney, Associate Professor
D. Michael Benson, Plant Pathologist
M. A. (Kim) Powell, Extension Horticultural Specialist
Department of Horticultural Science

Flowering crabapples have tremendous potential as small/ medium sized flowering trees that can be grown all across North Carolina. These deciduous, spring flowering trees are adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and have a variety of ornamental characteristics to choose from, including an assortment of flower color and fragrance, fruit size and color, and tree form.

In some cases, crabapples have developed a poor reputation as a result of disease problems (scab, mildew, and fire blight) as well as susceptibility to certain insect pests such as Japanese beetle. However, extensive breeding and evaluation projects have resulted in numerous selections that are resistant to these problems. The varieties listed in the following table have been found to warrant particular attention due to their desirable ornamental characteristics as well as substantial disease resistance. This list is by no means comprehensive and there are many exciting new introductions currently being evaluated; however, the plants listed have undergone considerable testing and are proven performers.

It should also be emphasized that no single species or cultivar is suited for all sites and consideration should be given to local occurrence of diseases and insects, hardiness zone, tree form, and mature tree size when selecting any plant. Problems with rootstock suckers can be minimized by using plants that are grown from cuttings or grafted onto rootstocks with limited suckering problems, such as EMLA 111. The data included in the following table have been consolidated from numerous evaluation trials located across the country including sites in Raleigh and Fletcher, N.C. Although all of the plants listed herein have considerable resistance to foliar diseases, their degree of resistance under "worst case" conditions is indicated.

For Further Reading

• Dirr, M.A. 1990. Manual of woody landscape plants: Their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation and use. 4th. ed., Stipes, Champaign, IL.
• Fiala, J.L. 1994. Flowering crabapples: The genus Malus. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
• Wyman, D. 1990. Trees for American gardens: The definitive guide to identification and cultivation. Macmillan, New York, NY.

PLANT	HT.(ft.)/WD.(ft.)	FORM	FOLIAGE	FLOWERS	FRUIT	DISEASE & INSECT RESISTANCE
						Scab	Fire Blight	Rust	Mildew	Japanese Beetle
`Adams'	20/20	Rounded	Greenish red	Red/pink	PRed, 5/8"	Good	Good	Excel.	Good	Poor
`Adirondack'	18/10	Upright	Medium green	Red buds/white	Red/orange, 1/2"	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.	-
baccata var. jackii	30/25	Rounded	Glossy green	FWhite	PRed, 1/2 "	Excel.	Fair	Excel.	Good	Excel.
`Callaway'	25/25	Rounded	Green	Pink/white	1Red, 1"	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
`David'	18/20	Rounded	Green	Pink/white	PRed,1/2"	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Good
`Dolgo'	40/30	Upright/spread	Green	White	1Red, 1 1/2 "	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.
`Donald Wyman'	20/20	Rounded	Glossy green	White	PRed, 3/8"	Good	Fair	Excel.	Good	Good
floribunda	18/25	Horiz./rounded	Green	FPink/white	Amber, 3/8"	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
`Indian Summer'	18/20	Broad/rounded	Bronze green	Rose red	PRed, 5/8"	Fair	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Good
`Jewel- berry'	8/12	Dwarf, rounded	Green	Pink/white	Red, 1/2 "	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.
`Louisa'	15/15	Weeping	Glossy green	Red/pink	Yellow, 3/8"	Good	Good	Good	Good	Excel.
Molten Lava®	15/15	Weeping	Green	Red bud/white	Red/orange, 3/8 "	Good	Fair	Good	Fair	Excel.
`Prairifire'	20/20	Upright/spread.	Reddish green	Crimson/pink	PRed, 1/2"	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.	Good
`Professor Sprenger'	25/25	Upright/spread.	Green	Pink/white	POrange/red, 1/2 "	Good	Good	Excel.	Good	Good
`Robinson'	25/25	Upright/spread.	Reddish/bronze green	Crimson/pink	PRed, 3/8"	Fair	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.	Fair
sargentii	10/14	Spreading	Dark green	FWhite	Red, 1/4"	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Excel.
`Sentinel'	20/15	Upright	Dark green	Pink/white	PRed, 1/2"	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Poor
Sugar Tyme®	18/15	Oval	Green	FPink/white	PRed, 1/2"	Good	Good	Excel.	Excel.	Good
`White Cascade'	15/15	Weeping	Green	Pink/white	Yellow, 3/8"	Good	Excel.	Fair	Excel.	Excel.

^F preceding flower color indicates that flowers are fragrant.
^P preceding fruit color indicates that fruit is persistent minimizing maintenance problems.
¹ `Dolgo' and 'Callaway' have good fruit for making jellies and jams, but the fruit are not persistent and can be a maintenance problem.

Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University at Raleigh, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.