Common names: Crab Apple, wild apple, European apple,  

Irish name: Crann fia-úll 

Latin name: Malus sylvestris  

Family: Rosaceae 

Origin: Native 

Tree type: Deciduous broadleaf tree

How it looks

Shape, bark, twigs 

Mature crab apple trees can grow to around 10m in height and have a wide, spreading canopy. The bark of mature trees is greyish-brown and scaled, often developing a gnarled and twisted texture. Twigs are reddish-brown and frequently thorny.  

Buds 

Pointed brown and grey buds alternate along the stem, featuring downy hair on their tips. 

Leaves 

It has oval-shaped, glossy leaves measuring 4 to 6cm in length. They have a serrated edge with small, rounded triangular teeth. The undersides are initially hairy, becoming hairless as the leaves mature. In autumn, they turn yellow before falling.  

Flowers 

White blossoms appear in April to May on long, hairless stalks. Several flowered stalks occur from a single point on the top of a stem. Each flower, with five petals measuring 2–3cm across, possesses male and female organs, making them hermaphroditic. 

Fruits 

Following insect pollination, flowers transform into small yellow-green apples in early autumn. These apples, 2-3cm across, may exhibit red or white spots when ripe. They contain the tree's seeds, dispersed by animals that eat the fruit. 

Similar species 

The cultivated apple is Malus domestica, distinguished from the crab apple by its hairy leaves, flower stalks, and larger fruits. Although not native to Ireland, it is widely established in the wild.

Where to find it

The crab apple thrives in old woodlands, native scrub, and hedgerows across Ireland. It is also native throughout much of Europe and reaches into southwestern Asia. It flourishes in full sunlight but can tolerate semi-shaded environments. It will grow in various soils, from sandy to heavy clay and mildly acidic to alkaline and can grow to elevations of 400m above sea level.

Cultural importance

History | Myth | Literature

History 

Seeds recovered from archaeological excavations at the Mesolithic (c. 8000-4000 BC) occupation site of Mountsandel, County Derry/Londonderry suggest that hunter-gatherer communities in Ireland were eating crab apples as early as 7000 BC (over 9000 years ago) as part of their summer diet. Similarly, crab apple remains found in significant quantities at Neolithic (c. 4000-2500) occupation sites throughout Ireland indicate that the first farming communities were also eating this fruit. However, evidence suggests that they were not simply eating wild crab apples. Some of the seed impression decorations visible on Neolithic pottery excavated from prehistoric house structures in Ballintaggart, Co. Down were found to be made using apple pips. Furthermore, based on the large quantities of charred crab apple remains (including flesh and pips) discovered in Neolithic pits, along with flint fragments and pottery-types commonly found in ceremonial contexts, Penny Johnston has theorised that apples may have had a ritual significance during this period, especially between the years 3500-2000 BC. Thus, the crab apple may have been considered a sacred tree as early as the Neolithic. 

Excavations at Edercloon, Co. Longford reveal that apple-type wood was also used in the construction of Bronze Age (c. 2500-800 BC) and Iron Age (c. 800 BC – 400 AD) trackways that were designed to traverse and access the bog. An Iron Age wooden mallet made of hazel and apple-type wood was also found at this site.  

In early Medieval (c. 400-1100) Ireland the native ‘wild apple‘ was considered one of the ‘Nobles of the Wood’ due to the value of its fruit and bark. It is possible that the bark of the apple was used to make a yellow dye. Held in such high esteem, there was a severe penalty for damaging an apple tree, especially if it belonged to someone of high status. Apple was also used to represent the letter or character ‘Q’ in the early Irish ogham alphabet: 

Crab apple trees were commonly planted in orchards because their long flowering period enhanced the pollination of cultivated fruit trees. In later periods, a yellow dye was extracted from the bark of the crab apple to colour wool and the wood was used to make drawing instruments, printing blocks and golf club heads.  

The Irish name for crab-apple, abhall, features in many Irish placenames, such as Aghowle or Achadh Abhall in County Wicklow, which means ‘field of the apple trees’, and Avalbane or Abhaill Bhán, County Monaghan, which translates as ‘the white apple tree’.

Myth, Legend and Folklore 

In Irish mythology, apple is a symbol of healing, replenishment and fertility, but it is especially associated with the otherworld.  

There are numerous references to the magical properties of apples in Irish mythology. The sea god Manannán Mc Lir is connected with apples. He is said to have lived on Eamhan Abhlach, an otherworldly island of trees with magical golden apples. This island is thought to be the Isle of Avalon which features in Arthurian legend. In one story Manannán carries a branch of magical apples on his shoulder which, when shaken produced music that enabed the king, Cormac Mac Airt, to forget his tiredness and worries. In another story, apples are used by otherworldy beings to bind humans to them. Other tales tell of golden apples that when planted produced a tree with golden apples which brought fertility to the land around it. In other traditions, the apple is linked with goddesses, such as Iduna the Norse goddess of youth.  

As the apple is harvested in the Autumn, it is associated with the Celtic otherworld festival of Samhain, a connection which lives on in the modern-day Halloween.

Literature 

The apple features in early Medieval poetry such as the story of Suibne Geilt or Sweeney’s Lay, where he refers to the abundance of the tree: 'O apple-tree, O little apple-tree, strongly does everyone shake you’. While the magical qualities of the apple described in Irish myth are inferred in W. B. Yeat’s poem, The Song of Wandering Aengus, in which a fairy woman with apple blossom in her hair appears to Aengus. Crab-apples are also mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Love Labours Lost, in their connection with love and marriage.

Value to wildlife

Throughout the year, the crab apple serves as food and shelter for numerous animals and plants. In spring, its blossoms become a vital source of pollen and nectar for insects, and various moth species, including the eyed hawkmoth, feed upon the leaves. Many creatures, such as blackbirds, thrushes, mice, voles, foxes, and badgers, feed on the tiny apples, particularly when the fruit is over-ripe or has fallen from the tree. Additionally, the tree plays host to parasitic mistletoe, attracting berry-eating birds, while the bark of mature trees often becomes covered with lichens.

Threats

The bacterial disease fireblight was first recorded in Ireland in 1986, and it was likely introduced via infected imported plants. Fireblight is a highly contagious plant disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. It affects Crataegus (hawthorn), Malus (apple), Pyrus (pear) and Sorbus (Rowan and whitebeams) trees. In 2023, there were seven outbreaks across 11 counties. Symptoms include:  

• Wilting and death of flower clusters following blossom infection.  
• Withering and death of young shoots  
• Leaves showing necrotic patches, which spread from the leaf margin or the leaf stem, which generally remains attached to the plant.  
• Infected fruit turning brown or black; these become shrivelled but remain attached to the plant.  
• Cankering, which may spread into the main stem and kill the plant by ring barking it.   

If you find signs of fireblight please submit images to DAFM at: plantsandpests@agriculture.gov.ie 

Another concern for apple trees is apple scab, initiated by the fungus Venturia inequalis. This fungus overwinters on fallen leaves as tiny spores and targets the tree's fresh foliage in spring, especially during cool, wet conditions. It leads to leaf blotching and spotting, often resulting in premature leaf fall during summer. Additionally, the disease affects the tree's fruits, causing blotches, discolouration, and cracking. 

Furthermore, the crab apple faces a threat from cultivated varieties of apple trees, which hybridise with the native population, thereby compromising the integrity of the pure crab apple gene pool.

Uses

The rosy-hued timber of the crab apple tree has a fine, even texture resistant to splitting. It holds a good shape if dried slowly and can be used for carving, engraving and turnery. It also makes sweetly scented firewood and is favoured for smoking fish. 

Though crab apple fruits are high in Vitamin C, their tartness requires creative culinary approaches. Roasting them for meat pairings or incorporating them into ales and punches offers a unique twist. They are commonly made into crab apple jelly, serving as a natural pectin source for jam setting. Additionally, they contribute to verjuice, a vinegar used like lemon juice.

References

Dunne, C., 2009b. Appendix 2d: report on the cereal/seed impressions on ceramics, in R. Chapple, C. Dunlop, S. Gilmore and L. Heaney (eds.), 2005. Archaeological investigations along the A1 dualling scheme, Loughbrickland to Beech Hill, Co. Down, N. Ireland, pp.211-2. Oxford: BAR, British Series 479. Oxford. 

Johnston, P., 2021. Crab apples, 3500 BC to 2000 BC, Project Time Blog, March 2, 2021. Online: Crab apples, 3500 BC to 2000 BC – Project TIME (project-time.blog) 

Kelly, F. 1999. Trees in Early Ireland, Augustine Henry Memorial Lecture 11th March 1999, Irish forestry: Journal of the Society of Irish Foresters, 56, pp. 39-57. 

MacCoitir, N. 2015. Ireland’s Trees: Myths, Legends and Folklore. Cork: The Collins Press. 

MacLean, R., 1993. Eat your greens: an examination of the potential diet available in Ireland during the Mesolithic. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, pp.1-8. 

McLoughlin, J. 2016. Trees and woodland names in Irish placenames, Irish Forestry, 73, 239-257. 

McMahon, P. 2023. Island of Woods: How Ireland Lost Its Forests and How to Get Them Back, Dublin: New Island Books. 

McManus, D. 1991. A Guide to Ogam, Maynooth: An Sagart.  

Moore, Catriona. 2021. Between the Meadows: The archaeology of Edercloon on the N4 Dromod–Roosky Bypass: 11 (TII Heritage), Dublin: Transport Infrastructure Ireland. 

Neeson, E. 1991. A History of Irish Forestry, Dublin: The Lilliput Press Ltd. 

Poetry Foundation. 2023. The Song of Wandering Aengus by William Butler Yeats, Poetry Foundation. Online: The Song of Wandering Aengus by William Butler… | Poetry Foundation 

Stroh, P. A., Humphrey, T. A., Burkmar, R. J., Pescott, O. L., Roy, D. B., & Walker, K. J. 2023. BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020. https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas

Tree Council of Ireland. 2024. Native Irish Trees. Tree Council of Ireland. https://www.treecouncil.ie/native-irish-trees 

Trinity College Trees. 2017. Celtic Sacred Trees – The Crab-apple, Trinity College Trees. Online: Celtic sacred trees – The crab apple (wordpress.com) 

Woodland Trust. 2024. A-Z of British trees. Woodland Trust. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/

Whitehouse, N.J., Schulting, R.J., McClatchie, M., Barratt, P., McLaughlin, T.R., Bogaard, A., Colledge, S., Marchant, R., Gaffrey, J. and Bunting, M.J., 2014. Neolithic agriculture on the European western frontier: the boom and bust of early farming in Ireland. Journal of Archaeological Science, 51, pp.181-205.