History, Progeny, and Locations 



of Crabapples 

 of Documented Authentic Origin 



By Roland M. Jefferson, botanist, 

 Crops Research Division, Agricultural Research Service 



Introduction 



This publication has two objectives. The first is to supply- 

 locations of living crabapple material of documented authentic 

 origin to persons interested scientifically or aesthetically in such 

 plants. The second is to furnish concise historical data pertaining 

 to this material. Data concerning 181 crabapple introductions 

 are included. 



Regarding the first objective, there is little doubt among those 

 familiar with crabapple plants that, for various reasons, many 

 are misnamed. John C. Wister, Director, Arthur Hoyt Scott Horti- 

 cultural Foundation, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa., was 

 aware of this problem when he wrote (63) i 1 "A. F. den Boer who 

 is growing the largest collection [crabapple] in America at Des 

 Moines, reports that from his own experience at least 75% of all 

 plants sold by nurseries are not true to name. This mix-up is 

 partly due to ordinary mistakes in labeling, both on the part of 

 arboretums supplying new species to nurseries and on sales by 

 nurseries." 



To further explain misnamed plants, Donald Wyman, Horticul- 

 turist, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass., wrote (67) : 

 "Crab apples hybridize very freely, and because of this, much con- 

 troversy has resulted in their proper identification. Seed has been 

 gathered in large collections, been grown and the seedlings named 

 after the trees from which the seed was collected. All too fre- 

 quently such seed has produced plants with totally different char- 

 acteristics from the parent plant, and when this has become evi- 

 dent, it has caused much confusion." 



Italic numbers in parentheses refer to "Selected References," p. 83. 



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