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Food - Fruit production for consumption, juice, cider, and other products. Ornamental - It is also used as an ornamental tree.
Central Asia
It is cultivated in temperate regions, requiring sufficient chill hours for fruit production.
Consumption of apples has been traced back to 6500 BC.
It is a deciduous tree with rounded crown and growing up to 5-12 m tall.
Stem is woody and branched, forming a rounded crown. The bark is initially smooth, turning grayish-brown and fissured with age. Older trees may develop a corky appearance.
Leaves are simple, ovate to oval, with a rounded or pointed tip. They are alternately arranged on the stem, with a serrated margin. Leaves are usually dark green above and paler below, often with a downy underside.
Flowers are showy, white to pink, and fragrant. They are arranged in clusters (corymbs). Each flower has five petals and numerous stamens. Flowers appear before or with leaf emergence.
Fruit is a pome, round to oval in shape. It is fleshy and juicy, with a variable color depending on the cultivar (green, yellow, red, or combinations). The core contains five carpels with seeds.
Flowering: March – April
Fruiting: July – September, depending on cultivar