Nature Walk: Wild Prairie Crabapple

On woodland edges and in open prairies one may still find wild prairie crabapples. As a deciduous tree they are small, ten to 25 feet with a rounded crown, and have thorns on their short stubby branches. The fragrant flowers are white, with the underside of petals bright pink with dramatic venation. Like apples and many other fruit trees they are members of the rose family. The small greenish apples are bitter tasting, but can be made into jams and jelly. The scientific name is Malus ioensis, thus it is sometimes called the Iowa crabapple.