3. Malus Ioénsis (Wood) Britton. Western Crab Apple

Fig. 2324

Pyrus coronaria var. ioensis Wood, Class-book, 333. 1860. Pyrus ioensis Carruth, Trans. Kans. Acad. Sci.

5:48. 1877. Mains ioensis Britton, in Britt. & Brown, 1ll. Fl.

2: 235. 1897.

A small tree, resembling Malus glaucescens. Leaves simple, firm, white-pubescent beneath, at length glabrous above, obtuse at the apex, mostly narrowed at the base, ovate, oval or oblong, dentate, crenate or with a few rounded lobes, 1'-2' long, or on young shoots much larger; petioles and calyx pubescent, 1/2'-1 1/2' long; flowers much like those of M. glaucescens; pedicels villous-pubescent, slender, 1'-1 1/2' long; calyx-lobes persistent on the pome.

Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois to Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Iowa crab. April-May.

Malus Soulàrdi (Bailey) Britton, admitted as a species in our first edition, has been shown to be a hybrid between this and Malus Malus.

4. Malus Màlus (L.) Britton. Apple. Scarb- Or Wilding-Tree

Fig. 2325

Pyrus Malus L. Sp. Pl. 479. 1753.

Malus syhcstris Mill. Gard. Dict. Ed. 8, no. 1. 1768.

A large tree with spreading branches, the trunk sometimes reaching a diameter of 3o in cultivation. Leaves petioled, broadly ovate or oval, obtuse or abruptly pointed at the apex, rounded or slightly cordate at the base l' - 3' long, dentate or nearly entire, glabrous or nearly so above, pubescent and often woolly beneath, especially when young; pedicels generally tomentose, 1'-2 long; flowers pink, or white, 1 1/2'-3' broad; calyx tomentose; fruit depressed-globose or elongated, hollowed at the base, 1 1/2'-3' in diameter.

In woods and thickets, frequent in southern New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our common apple, introduced from Europe and escaped from cultivation. Native also of western Asia. Wood hard, reddish brown; weight per cubic foot 50 lbs. Crab-tree or -stock. Nurse-garden. April-May.

The cultivated crab apples are mainly hybrids of this with M. baccata and are occasionally spontaneous.