A row of Prairiefire Crabapples

This genus is native in North America, Europe and Asia. Cultivated varieties often escape from cultivation and become naturalized. The genus Malus contains about 25 species and hundreds of cultivars, including the apples and the crabapples. Although the fruits make excellent jellies, these trees are usually grown for the showy flowers and ornamental qualities of the fruit. Flowers appear before, with, or slightly after the leaves in April and May. They are pink (for the Prariefire variety), and are produced in small, showy clusters.