Malus fusca - Pacific crab apple

• Family: Rosaceae (Rose)^{[IFBC-Eflora]}

Description
"Malus fusca is a deciduous Tree growing to 12 m (39ft 4in) at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]

• Origin Status: Native ^[E-flora]
  
• Introduction "The Pacific crab apple is a small deciduous tree or shrub that is found from Alaska south to California." ^{[IFBC-Eflora]}
  
• "General: Tall shrub or small tree, 2-8 (12) m tall; branches armed with stiff, sharp, thorn-like spur-shoots; young twigs curly-hairy; bark brown, rough, shredding, the older bark deeply fissured." ^{[IFBC-Eflora]}
  
• "Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, lance- to egg-shaped, long-stalked, the blades 3-9 cm long, sharp-pointed at the tip, saw-toothed and often irregularly lobed, green and smooth or hairy above, paler and hairy below." ^{[IFBC-Eflora]}
  

"Habitat / Range Moist to wet, open forests, streambanks, upper beaches, shoreline thickets, estuary fringes, swamps and bogs in the lowland zone; common on coastal islands and adjacent mainland; N to AK and S to CA." ^{[IFBC-Eflora]} "Moist woods, stream banks, swamps and bogs in deep rich soils[60, 82], usually occurring in dense pure thickets[229]. Western N. America - Alaska to California." ^[PFAF]

Ecological Indicator
"A shade-intolerant. submontane to montane, Pacific North American shrub or broad­leaved tree. Occurs in cool mesothermal climates on wet to very wet. nitrogen-rich soils (Moder and Mull humus forms); its occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and continentality. Scattered in open­canopy forests on water-collecting sites; often inhabits brackish-water marshes and sites affected by ocean spray; rare on water-shedding sites. Characteristic of nutrient-rich wetlands." (Information applies to coastal locations only) ^{[IPBC-E-flora]}

Hazards

Hydrogen Cyanide: "All members of this genus contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide in their seeds and possibly also in their leaves, but not in their fruits. Hydrogen cyanide is the substance that gives almonds their characteristic taste but it should only be consumed in very small quantities. Apple seeds do not normally contain very high quantities of hydrogen cyanide but, even so, should not be consumed in very large quantities. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death."^[PFAF]

Edible Uses

• Fruit
• A highly important food for all of the Indigenous Peoples within the range of the plant.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]} An apple which is slightly oblong, scarcely more than half an inch in diameter. The white settlers used the fruit in early times for jelly, and it is yet used for that purpose. It was also eaten by the Indians.^[EWP]
  
• Harvesting: Generally picked from late summer until after the first frost in the fall. Often, they are picked while still slightly unripe, then kept until they ripen and become sweeter.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]} The fruit can be left on the tree until there have been some autumn frosts, this will soften the fruit and make it somewhat less acid[K].^[PFAF]
  
• Preparation: Eaten fresh or preserved.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]} Raw or cooked[11, 101].^[PFAF] An agreeable sub-acid taste, it can be eaten out of hand or made into jellies, preserves etc[183].^[PFAF] The crabapples could also be mixed with other, sweeter fruits such as salal, although they were well liked by themselves, with a dressing of ooligan grease or some other type of fat.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]}
  
• Jams & Jellies: The fruit is rich in pectin so it can be added to pectin-low fruits when making jams or jellies[183, 257].^[PFAF] They are a good source of pectin in jelly making.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]}
  
• Preservation: Today, they are preserved by jarring, canning, freezing, and making into jelly. ^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]} Formerly preserved by placing them, raw or cooked for a brief time, in bentwood cedar boxes or large watertight baskets and covering them with water, then with a layer of ooligan grease or some type of oil. Sometimes the boxes were lined with skunk-cabbage leaves, and some people buried them in deep holes over the winter.^{[Turner, Kuhnlein]} Because the apples are high in acidity, they store well and only become softer and sweeter with aging. ^{[Krumm PNBB]}

Other Uses

• Pectin: A source of pectin[183]. Pectin is also said to protect the body against radiation[201]. ^[PFAF]
  
• Wood: Hard, close grained, durable.^[PFAF]
  
• Uses: Mallets, tool handles and bearings[11, 82, 99, 101, 226].^[PFAF]
  

Medicinal Uses
Oregon crab was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257].^[PFAF] In particular, it gained a reputation with some tribes as a heal-all, especially useful for treating any of the internal organs[257].^[PFAF] It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.^[PFAF]

• Leaves: The soaked leaves have been chewed in the treatment of lung problems[257]. ^[PFAF]
  
• Juice
• Eye Medicine: Scraped from the peeled trunk and used as an eye medicine[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Bark
• The trunk, bark and inner bark are antirheumatic, astringent, blood purifier, cardiac, diuretic, laxative and tonic[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Decoction: decoction has been used in the treatment of coughs, stomach ulcers, dysentery, diarrhoea, rheumatism and consumption[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Bark: The shredded bark has been used to treat blood spitting[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Poultice: A poultice of the chewed bark has been applied to wounds[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Eyewash: An infusion of the bark is used as an eyewash[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Dermatological Aid: A decoction of the bark is used as a wash on cuts, eczema and other skin problems[257].^[PFAF]
  
• Tonic: An infusion of the bark, combined with wild cherry bark (Prunus sp.) has been used as a cure-all tonic[257]. ^[PFAF]

Nutritional

Cultivation
"The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.It is noted for attracting wildlife. ^[PFAF]
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]
"An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most fertile soils, preferring a moisture retentive well-drained loamy soil[1, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a sunny position but succeeds in partial shade, though it fruits less well in such a situation[200]. A very ornamental plant[IFBC-Eflora], it is slow-growing in the wild[229]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200]. The fruit is a good wildlife food source, especially for birds[200]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200]." ^[PFAF]
"Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. It usually germinates in late winter. Stored seed requires stratification for 3 months at 1^oc and should be sown in a cold frame as soon as it is received[200]. It might not germinate for 12 months or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. If given a rich compost they usually grow away quickly and can be large enough to plant out in late summer, though consider giving them some protection from the cold in their first winter. Otherwise, keep them in pots in a cold frame and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a frame[11]."^[PFAF]
Wildlife: Willow grouse are said to be fond of wild crabapples, and were sometimes hunted at the same time the fruit was being harvested.[Turner, Kuhnlein]

Remediation

• The plant produces exudates that stimulate growth of PCB-degrading bacteria. ^{[Ramsden BMDHP]}

Synonyms

• Malus diversifolia (Bong.) M. Roem. ^[E-flora]
• Malus fusca var. levipes (Nutt.) C.K. Schneid. ^[E-flora]
• Pyrus diversifolia. ^[E-flora]
• Pyrus fusca Raf. ^[E-flora]
• Pyrus rivularis Dougl. ex Hook. ^{[E-flora][PFAF]}

MALUS Apple

• Shrub to tree, thorny or not.
• Leaf: simple, generally toothed (lobed).
• Inflorescence: few-flowered, ± umbel-like cluster; pedicel bractlets 0 or 1, deciduous.
• Flower: hypanthium bractlets 0; stamens many; ovary inferior, chambers (2)5, 2-ovuled, styles (2)5, ± fused at base.
• Fruit: pome, ± spheric, flesh not gritty.
• 25–50 species: northern temperate. (Classical name of apple) [Jepson2012]

Local Species;

1. Malus fusca - Pacific crab apple ^{[TSFTK][PCBC][E-flora]}
2. Malus pumila - cultivated apple ^[E-flora]

Key to Malus

1. Main leaves (at least some) generally lobed; fruit 10–15 mm, oblong, yellow to generally purple-red or -black ..... M. fusca
1' Main leaves unlobed; fruit generally > 30 mm, round, ± red ..... M. pumila ^[Jepson2012]

References

• [E-flora]http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Malus fusca&redblue=Both&lifeform=2, [Accessed: April 23, 2014]
  • IPBC - Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia
    
• [EWP] Edible Wild Plants,Oliver Perry Medsger, MacMillan Publishing Company, 1972
• [Jepson2012] Daniel Potter & Thomas J. Rosatti, 2012. Malus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=32587, accessed on Mar 12 2014
  
• [PFAF] Plants for a future, Accessed September 18, 2014
  
• [Turner, Kuhnlein] Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples, Harriet V. Kuhnlein & Nancy J. Turner, Gordon and Beach Publishers, Netherlands, 1991