Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Malus niedzwetzkyana
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

Niedzwetzky's crab apple

A deciduous tree, with reddish purple young shoots and broadly oval, bluntly toothed leaves that are flushed red when young, and mature to deep green. Dark red buds open to deep pink flowers in spring, followed in autumn by small, dark red fruits covered with a plum-purple bloom

Synonyms
Malus pumila 'Niedzwetzkyana'
Malus pumila var. niedzwetzkyana
Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
4–8 metres
Time to ultimate height
10–20 years
Ultimate spread
4–8 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Pink Green Red
Summer Green
Autumn Green Red Red
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H6
Botanical details
Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Columnar upright, Spreading branched
Potentially harmful
Although generally edible when cooked, seeds contain toxins so these should be removed if you are considering eating the fruit, usually grown as an ornamental shrub. see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus

Malus are small to medium-sized deciduous trees with showy flowers in spring and ornamental or edible fruit in autumn; some have good autumn foliage colour

Name status

Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a sunny, open spot in fertile, deep, moist, loamy soil

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding in late summer, or grafting in mid-winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, including rosy apple aphid and woolly aphid, apple sawfly, fruit tree red spider mite, codling moth, apple leaf-mining moth and other caterpillars

Diseases

May be susceptible to apple canker, apple scab, blossom wilt, brown rot, fireblight, honey fungus and powdery mildews

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.