HUNNEWELL ARBORWAY VISITOR CENTER GATE

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t h BONSAI COLLECTION M e A a r d b o w o r Dana Greenhouses R w o (No Public Access) a a d y FOREST HILLS /R o ATE u G t Crabapple Collection e 20 CENTRE STREET 3 GATE Bu sse y H ill BRADLEY Ro ad ROSACEOUS COLLECTION

Faulkner For more thanHospital a century, the Arboretum has played a pivotal role in oad Forest Hills R

t the study, introduction, ande promotion of the genus Malus (apples e tr and crabapples). Today, the S permanent collection includes nearly 500 A re BUSSEY HILL Mass. State lla t n n B plants representingda approximatelye 166 taxa (kinds).u These include many Laboratory le C s S se tr y ee H rarely seen species,t many of which were collectedi from their native ll h R t o Washington Street a a ranges, primarily in Asia. The collection also holds overd one hundred P Forest Hills h t WASHINGTON Oa c e k e e MBTA Station cultivars, which have been selected forV certain horticulturalPa merits such e r a th B t STREET l S C EXPLORERS Orange Line le ATE y h h G as flower size and color, fruit persistence, and disease resistance. t i R n GARDEN u o e h s o a e t d S a P p a t t o Since 2010, the Peters Hill Malus collection has been the subjecth of o F ll th e intensive horticultural care and Pa curatorial reviews. In addition to w ifer k Con c a l S p B improving the appearance of the collection, these r efforts will help i n h g t Pa B r ch o Bee o h in the developmentt of a comprehensive managementk plan for the SOUTH STREET

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r GATE e k collection f and will also enhance collections development Broo strategies. i Bussey n Co P ock Hill R ath Heml oad

VFW P arkway WALTER STREET MAP K EY Weld Hill Research GATE HEMLOCK HILL & Administration Building Hebrew (No Public Access) Rehabilitation BUSSEY STREET City Street (traffic) Center GATE Buss Entrance Gate 1 Redvein crabapple ey Str PETERS HILL eet GATE Access Road (paved) (Malus pumila var. niedzwetzkyana) t e e r t 3 Prarie crabapple S 2 r e Centre Street lt Pe (Malus ioensis) a 7 ters H W ill POPLAR Walnuts

Ro 1 ELD ILL V Plant Collection W H ad t GATE e a Sargent crabapple e O 3 r l a t l e t S k ree 2 y ld St We P h (Malus sargentii) t R a 4 t 5 u o o h S a Walking Path (unpaved) 4 Cultivar of flowering crabapple d (Malus ‘Mary Potter’) Main Road (paved) PETERS HILL Oaks P N 5 Cultivar of cherry crabapple e te rs Public Restrooms (Malus x robusta ‘Arnold-Canada’) H i ll R o 6 Cultivar of flowering crabapple a Visitor Information & Shop WALTER STREET d (Malus ‘Donald Wyman’) BURYING GROUND 6 Drinking Fountain 7 Tea crabapple (Malus hupehensis) N Visitor Center Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday Noon-4pm

MENDUM STREET For Information and Seasonal Highlights GATE 617-524-1718

mi. mi. mi. mi. 125 Arborway Boston, MA 02130-3500 .25 km. .50 km. .75 km. 617-384-5209 www.arboretum.harvard.edu Crabapples bloom in white and shades of red ranging from pale pink to deep purplish rose. Often the flower buds are a darker shade than the open flowers, adding attractive contrast on blooming branches. Many Malus species bear pink buds that open to white flowers. The introduction of 1 Malus pumila var. niedzwetzkyana in the 1890s brought a new range of color to crabapples: this unusual variety has dark rose-red flowers, reddish purple fruit, and purplish new foliage, and was used in hybridizing to develop ornamental crabapples with deeper pink to red flowers.

Most Malus species are native to Eurasia, but there are a few that are native to

North America. An example in the Arboretum’s collection is 2 Malus ioensis, the prairie crabapple. This species bears large (1 to 1.5 inch diameter) fruit that provide food for wildlife when they fall but make the tree less desirable for most landscape uses. However, the double-flowered cultivar M. ioensis ‘Plena’ is popular for its fragrant, roselike, pink flowers that do not develop into fruit.

3 Sargent crabapple (Malus sargentii) was named in honor of the Arboretum’s founding director, Charles S. Sargent, who first brought seeds of this species to the United States from Japan. This naturally small-growing species reaches a height of only 6 to 8 feet but has a horizontal spread of 8 to 15 feet. It has white flowers and small (¼ inch diameter) red fruit that persists into winter.

4 Malus ‘Mary Potter’ is another crabapple with a Sargent connection. This cultivar was hybridized and selected by Arboretum researcher Karl Sax in 1947 and was named in honor of Charles Sprague Sargent’s daughter. It grows about 10 to 15 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. Pink buds open to white flowers, which are followed by ½ inch diameter red fruit.

Most ornamental crabapple cultivars are small trees, typically maturing at 15 to 25 feet tall. A notable exception on Peters Hill is a specimen of 5 Malus x robusta ‘Arnold-Canada’. At just over 40 feet tall, it towers over neighboring crabapples. In addition to its large size, this rare cultivar is noted for its showy yellow and red fruit and for developing good yellow fall foliage.

One of the best cultivars for colorful, persistent fruit is 6 Malus ‘Donald Wyman’, an Arboretum introduction named in honor of the long-time Arboretum horticulturist. Its ½ inch diameter bright red fruits are showy in fall and winter, and often some fruit is still present when the tree begins to bloom in the spring.

7 Tea crabapple, Malus hupehensis, has a distinctive vase-shaped growth habit. Native to China, this species was introduced to the United States by the Arboretum after noted plant explorer E. H. Wilson brought seeds back from his 1908 China expedition. Tea crabapple often develops purplish fall foliage color, which contrasts nicely with its red-blushed yellow fruit.