crab apple

crab apple
1. a small, sour, wild apple.
2. any of various small, tart, cultivated varieties of apple, used for making jelly and preserves.
3. any tree bearing such fruit.
[1705-15]

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tree
also called  Crab,  
 any of several small trees of the genus Malus, in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to North America and Asia. Crabs are widely grown for their attractive growth habit, spring flower display, and decorative fruit. The fragrant five-petaled, white, pink, carmine, or purplish flowers appear early in showy masses. The fruits are much smaller and more tart than the common apple but are suitable for jellies, preserves, and cider. The tree itself is stiffer in form and more spiny than the common apple.

      Outstanding Oriental crabs include the Chinese flowering crab (M. spectabilis), Siberian crab (M. baccata), Toringo crab (M. sieboldii), and Japanese crab (M. floribunda). Among the notable American species are the garland, or wild sweet crab (M. coronaria); Oregon crab (M. fusca); prairie, or Iowa crab (M. ioensis); and southern crab (M. angustifolia).

      The showiest crabs, hybrids derived from M. floribunda, are among the choicest small, hardy decorative trees; many have large, fragrant double blossoms and bear colourful fruit that persists well into winter. Certain cultivated varieties of both the Oriental and American crabs are susceptible to cedar apple rust, apple scab, and fire blight, but hybrids with tolerance or resistance to these diseases have been developed.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Crab apple — Crab Crab (kr[a^]b), n. [AS. crabba; akin to D. krab, G. krabbe, krebs, Icel. krabbi, Sw. krabba, Dan. krabbe, and perh. to E. cramp. Cf. {Crawfish}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) One of the brachyuran Crustacea. They are mostly marine, and usually have a broad …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crab apple — crab .apple n [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: Perhaps from CRAB] a small sour apple, or the tree it grows on …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • crab apple — crab apples N COUNT A crab apple is a tree like an apple tree that produces small sour fruit …   English dictionary

  • crab apple — n. 1. any of several species of small, very sour apples (genus Malus), growing wild or cultivated and used for making jellies and preserves 2. a tree bearing crab apples: also crab tree …   English World dictionary

  • crab-apple — crabˈ apple noun • • • Main Entry: ↑crab …   Useful english dictionary

  • crab apple — crab ,apple noun count or uncount a very small sour apple …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • crab apple — ► NOUN ▪ a small, sour kind of apple. ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of Scots and northern English scrab …   English terms dictionary

  • crab apple — noun 1. any of numerous varieties of crab apples cultivated for their small acidic (usually bright red) fruit used for preserves or as ornamentals for their blossoms • Syn: ↑crabapple, ↑cultivated crab apple • Hypernyms: ↑apple tree • Hyponyms:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • crab apple — UK / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms crab apple : singular crab apple plural crab apples a very small sour apple …   English dictionary

  • crab apple — miškinė obelis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis augalas (Malus sylvestris), paplitęs Europoje. atitikmenys: lot. Malus sylvestris angl. crab apple; European crab apple šaltinis Valstybinės lietuvių… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • crab apple — slyvalapė obelis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erškėtinių šeimos dekoratyvinis augalas (Malus prunifolia), paplitęs Kinijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Malus prunifolia angl. Chinese apple; Chinese apple tree; crab apple; pearleaf crabapple; plum …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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