Malus pumila

Mill. Apple
Gard. Dict.: Malus no: 3 (1768)
Taxonomic status Accepted
Occurrence status Present
Origin Introduced
Degree of establishment Naturalised

Erect small to medium-sized deciduous tree to c. 10 m high; stems mostly unarmed, twigs and new growth tomentose. Leaves simple, ovate to elliptic, mostly 3–13 cm long, 1.5–7 cm wide, base rounded, apex acute or obtuse, margins entire, crenate or serrate, upper surface sparsely tomentose, lower surface densely tomentose; petiole 1–5 cm long; stipules early caducous. Flowers in corymbs on short lateral or terminal shoots; pedicels densely pubescent. Sepals densely pubescent; petals ovate to suborbicular, 15–25 mm long, white, pink or reddish; stamens numerous, anthers yellow; styles 5, fused basally. Pome subglobose, usually c. 5–9 cm diam., impressed above and below, glabrous, green, yellowish, red, or a combination of these. Flowers spring.

Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, HFE, VAlp. SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Widespread across much of the State, mostly in cooler areas, naturalizing from discarded cores and animal-dispersed seed, common along roadsides, but occasionally entering intact cool forest communities.

Created by: Andre Messina, 1 Dec. 2015
Updated by: Val Stajsic, 15 Mar. 2019
Malus pumila (hero image) Spinning
Malus pumila (distribution map) Spinning