The crab apple and the common apple are believed to have developed from different species, the result of man's manipulations over thousands of years. This is the apple first taken to England by the Romans and later introduced into the colonies by early Americans. The apple hybridizes easily and has generated 6500 registered horticultural varieties - truly a nightmare for taxonomists and botanists. The tough, hardy common apple will grow in almost any soil condition or location, a factor in choosing it as an ornamental. If left on its own, it becomes a small to medium-size tree with a dense rounded form, short stem and branches starting close to the ground.
Leaves grow alternately and in clusters.
The blossoms are reason enough to justify them as ornamentals and to occasionally save one that might otherwise be considered poorly placed or of shabby appearance. Branches are stout with many sturdy twigs and short fruit-bearing spurs that are often tipped with a sharp spine. The branches have lots of knuckles and elbows. The bark is gray to reddish or purple-brown, peeling in small, thin, brittle flakes. Orchards prune them heavily to open their tops and keep the fruit closer to the ground, often replacing matured trees after 40 years or so.