biodiverseed:Sargent’s Apple (Malus sargentii) HedgeFor every fruit we eat, there are usually a few

biodiverseed:Sargent’s Apple (Malus sargentii) HedgeFor every fruit we eat, there are usually a few dozen (at least) wild or lesser-cultivated “cousins” that are neglected; often this is because they have less edible or smaller fruit to begin with, so there hasn’t been much effort put into breeding modern cultivars. Most apples we eat and plant – both crabapples and commercial apples – are from the ‘Domestic Apple’ species (Malus domestica). In my forest garden, I’ve also mixed in the Siberian crabapple (Malus baccata), and Niedzwetzky’s apple (Malus niedzwetzkyana), and I’ve seen North American gardeners like plantyhamchuk working with species like the Southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia): it’s not unheard-of to find other apple species, but it’s definitely not the norm.The Sargent’s apple (Malus sargentii) is one such neglected species. Native to Japan and standing less than 2 metres tall, these are a uniquely-compact apple trees. While the fruits aren’t especially large or palatable, they are beloved by birds, and useful for making preserves. These trees can also potentially be crossed with domestic apples to make dwarf cultivars, and have the potential to offer genetic diversity for disease-resistance breeding.On the farm in Jylland, a row of these compact apples are being trained as a hedge; in spring, the hedge is awash in white blossoms, which fade to small red fruits. I took a few cuttings, and will try and propagate some trees of my own to work with down the road! Maybe they’ll be the secret ingredient to breeding my own perfect apple tree. -- source link
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