Complimentary 
NEW SERIES VOL. IV 
NO. 12 
ARNOLD ARBORETUM 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
BULLETIN 
OF 
POPULAR INFORMATION 
JAMAICA PLAIN. MASS. OCTOBErTiT 1 9 1 8 
Crabapples in Autumn. The beauty of the Crabapples of North 
America and eastern Asia in spring when they are covered with their 
pink, rose color or white flowers has often been described in these 
Bulletins. That few trees produce handsomer or more abundant fruit 
is perhaps not yet generally known or the value of these trees for the 
decoration of the autumn garden fully appreciated. All the Crab- 
apples, including the species from Florida and Oregon, are hardy in 
the north. They are all indifferent to the presence of lime in the soil 
and therefore can be grown successfully in parts of the United States 
where it is impossible to cultivate many plants like Rhododendrons and 
Azaleas to which the presence of lime is fatal. Of the large groups 
of shrubs and small trees of general and wide cultivation in this coun- 
try— Lilacs, Syringas, Crabapples, Viburnums, Hawthorns, and Cornels 
—none equal the Hawthorns and Crabapples in the size and brilliancy 
of their fruit. The fruit of the American Crabapple is larger than 
that of the Asiatic species, depressed-globose except in the Oregon 
species, light green or pale yellow, covered with a waxy exudation, 
and very fragrant. The fruit of the Asiatic species is red, yellow 
with a red cheek or greenish, and varies in size from that of a small 
pea to a diameter of an inch and a half. On some species the fruit 
falls as soon as it is ripe and on others it persists until spring. There 
are many natural hybrids of these Asiatic plants and, as is the case 
in several other genera, the hybrids are often more valuable as garden 
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