388 



TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



Fruit on stout tomentose or villose stems l'-l|' long, depressed globose, with shallow basal 

 and apical depressions, green or greenish yellow, f'-l' high, and l'-lj' wide. 



A tree, 20-30 high, with a trunk 12'-18' in diameter, stout spreading branches forming 

 a wide open head, and branchlets hoary-tomentose when they first appear, glabrous or 



Fig. 345 



slightly pubescent, bright red-brown and marked by occasional small pale lenticels in their 

 first winter, the lateral branchlets usually spinescent. Winter-buds minute, obtuse, pu- 

 bescent above the middle. Bark Y thick, covered with long narrow persistent red-brown 

 scales. 



Distribution. Southeastern Minnesota to Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and Missouri, and 

 through southern Wisconsin and Illinois to Huntington County, Indiana. Passing into 

 var. Palmeri Rehd., differing from the type in its smaller oblong more thinly pubescent 

 leaves usually rounded at apex, those of the flowering branchlets crenately serrate and not 

 lobed; a small tree rarely more than 15 high, with a slender stem, spiny zigzag branches 

 and stout branchlets densely tomentose when they first appear, becoming glabrous or 

 nearly glabrous and reddish or gray-brown at the end of their first season; the common form 

 in Missouri, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. On the Edwards Plateau, in western Texas 

 (Blanco, Kendall, and Kerr Counties) M. ioensis is represented by the var. texana Rehd., 

 differing in its smaller and broader leaves only slightly or not at all lobed and densely villose 

 through the season; usually an intricately branched shrub forming large dense thickets. 

 A shrub from Campbell, Dunklin County, southeastern Missouri, with small leaves and 

 flowers, a glabrescent calyx, and long slender flexible branches armed with numerous long 

 straight spines is distinguished as var. spinosa Rehd. A variety with elliptic-ovate to 

 oblong-ovate leaves rounded or broadly cuneate at base, nearly entire or crenately serrate, 

 pubescent below at least on the veins, with densely villose petioles is distinguished as var. 

 creniserrata Rehd.; a small tree with slender spineless branchlets villose while young; near 

 Pineville, Rapides Parish, and Crowly, Arcadia Parish, western Louisiana. A variety 

 with less deeply lobed glabrescent oblong-lanceolate leaves is distinguished as var. Bushii 

 Rehd. ; Williamsville, Wayne County, and Monteer, Shannon County, southern Missouri. 



Malus ioensis var. plena Rehd., the Bechtel Crab, a form with large rose-colored double 

 flowers is a favorite garden plant. 



X Malus Soulardii Britt. with ovate, elliptic or obovate usually obtuse leaves, rugose 

 and tomentose on the lower surface, and depressed-globose fruit 2'-2f in diameter, is be- 

 lieved to be a hybrid of Malus ioensis and Malus pumila. 



