Sweet Crab Apple
Malus coronaria
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
Cbaile19
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Genus:
- Malus
- Species:
- Malus coronaria
- USDA Symbol:
- MACO5
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub , Tree
- Height:
- 900 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- apr,may,jun
- Bloom Colors:
- white, pink
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★★☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Bucculatrix pomifoliella, Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Dichomeris ligulella, Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Phyllonorycter crataegella, Radcliffe's dagger moth (Acronicta radcliffei), Unicorn caterpillar moth (Schizura unicornis), Woody Underwing (Catocala grynea)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, mammals, butterflies, bees
- Fragrant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- yellow
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- good drainage preferred
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- native to moist, wooded areas and riverbanks
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 60–120 days
- Germination Time:
- 30–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require cold stratification; sow in fall for natural stratification or cold stratify in refrigerator before spring sowing.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.
Source: Claude AI