Malus fusca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malus fusca |
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| Malus fusca flowers and leaves, at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge in California |
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Synonymy
Malus diversifolia (Bong.) M.Roem.
Malus fusca var. levipes (Nutt.) C.K.Schneid. Malus rivularis (Douglas ex Hook.) M.Roem. Pyrus diversifolia Bong. Pyrus fusca Raf. 1830 Pyrus fusea Raf. Pyrus rivularis Douglas ex Hook. Pyrus rivularis var. levipes Nutt. Sorbus rivularis (Douglas ex Hook.) H.Hara |
Malus fusca, with the common names Oregon crabapple and Pacific crabapple, is a North American species of crabapple.
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Distribution
It is native to western North America from Alaska, through British Columbia, to northwestern California. It grows in temperate coniferous forest, primarily in the Cascade Range and the Pacific Coast Ranges.
Description
Malus fusca is a deciduous tree up to 13 metres (43 ft) tall. Leaves are up to 10 cm (4 inches) long.
Flowers are white or pale pink, blooming in Spring. The fruits are small round apple-shaped pomes, red, yellow, or yellow-green.
Uses
The oblong fruit can be eaten, but has a sour flavor. The fruit can also be used for extraction of pectin, useful in helping make jams and jellies from other fruits, and is also made into jams and jellies itself. The bark can be used as an herbal medicine. It is also grown in parks and gardens as an ornamental plant.
Pacific crabapple fruits were prized by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest as a food source, and were gathered all along the coast. As a traditional medicinal plant, infusions of the bark and/or fruit were used, including for stomach disorders, skin and eye infections, and as an analgesic.
The tree was also valued for its tough, resilient wood, used for making implements, and for its bark, used for a wide range of medicinal purposes.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Malus fusca para niños
