Culture
Best grown in medium moisture, well-drained, acidic loams in full sun. Adapts to a wide range of soils. Established trees have some drought tolerance. Although some flowers may be lost, it is best to prune this tree as needed in late winter. Spring pruning should be avoided as it produces fresh, open cuts where fireblight bacterium can enter.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Malus baccata, commonly called Siberian crabapple, is an upright, deciduous, broad-rounded, flowering crabapple tree in the rose family that is native to mixed forests in Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia (Siberia) and China. It typically grows to 30-40' tall (infrequently taller). It has been introduced into and has naturalized in parts of North America from Newfoundland to Ontario south to Missouri and Virginia. It has the best winter hardiness of any plant in the genus Malus (USDA Zone 2), resulting in frequent use of its rootstock in the hybridization process. Reddish-brown flower buds form in early spring followed by a showy April-May bloom of fragrant, 5-petaled, white flowers (1 1/2" wide). Flowers appear in 4-6 flowered corymbs. Flowers are followed by tiny red or yellow crabapples (to 5/8" diameter) which ripen in fall. Fruit is edible for humans. Birds are attracted to the fruit. Broad-elliptic leaves (to 3" long) have serrate margins. No appreciable fall color, with early fall leaf drop common. Purplish-brown bark.
Genus name from Latin is an ancient name for apple.
Specific epithet from Latin means berry-like.
‘Halward’ is a compact cultivar which grows to only 15’ tall and as wide. It was developed by Ray Halward, former plant propagator at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1948. This cultivar produces (a) attractive white spring flowers, (b) disease-resistant, glossy green foliage and (c) bright red crabapples which mature in fall. Plants are much more compact than the species, and will fit much easier into a landscape.
Problems
Susceptibile to apple scab. Generally good disease resistance to the other main diseases of crabapples, namely, fireblight, cedar-apple rust and leaf spot. Potential insect pests are of lesser concern and include tent caterpillars, fall webworms, aphids, Japanese beetles, borers and scale. Spider mites may occur.
Uses
This crabapple species is a large tree that will not comfortably fit into small gardens or landscapes. It is commonly grown as both an ornamental tree (showy flowers and red/yellow fruit) and for its rootstock (winter hardy to Zone 2). Street tree. M. baccata var. mandshurica is often used for bonsai.
‘Halward’ is a compact cultivar which grows to only 15’ tall and as wide.