14 
Mains cerasifera. This is another of the early flowering Crabapples 
and is believed to be a hybrid between M. baccata and M. prunifolia. 
Planted in good soil and allowed sufficient room for development it will 
grow into a large shapely tree with a broad, round-topped, irregular 
head of spreading often drooping branches. The flowers are fragrant 
and larger than those of the other Asiatic Crabapples, with pure white 
or occasionally greenish petals; and the fruit, which varies in size on 
different plants, is globose and dull red. 
Malus micromalus, which is also an early flowering plant, is one of 
the least known of the Crabapples. It was first sent to Europe from 
Japan by Von Siebold in 1856 under the name of “Kaido,” a name 
which in Japan belongs to Malus Halliana. In Japan this tree is rare 
and known only in gardens, and by Japanese botanists is believed to 
have been introduced into their country from China and to be a hybrid 
possibly of M. baccata with M. spectabilis. The habit of this plant is 
more pyramidal than that of other Crabapples and this habit makes 
the plants conspicuous in the collection. The largest plants are cov¬ 
ered this year with their small, pale pink, delicate flowers which will 
be followed by light yellow fruit, often rose color on one cheek. A 
plant of Malus micromalus first came to the Arboretum from the Paris 
Museum in 1888 and the plants now growing here are descendants of 
that plant. It is still one of the rarest of the Asiatic Crabapples in 
western gardens. 
Malus Halliana, with its form Parkmanii which has double flowers, 
is perhaps the most distinct of all Crabapples in the color of its rose- 
red flowers. It is a shapely small tree, with erect and spreading stems 
forming a narrow vase-like head, and dark green leaves. The globose 
reddish fruit is not larger than a small pea. The Parkman Crab was 
among the first Japanese trees to reach this country direct, having 
been sent by Dr. George R. Hall in 1862 to Boston where it was first 
planted in Mr. Francis Parkman’s garden on the shores of Jamaica 
Pond. This Crabapple is a favorite in Japanese gardens where it is 
known as “Kaido, ” but has not been found in a wild state. Whatever 
its origin the Parkman Crab is one of the most distinct and beautiful 
of the small trees which flower here during the early days of May. 
Malus theifera from central and western China is closely related to 
Hall’s Crab. It is one of Wilson’s introductions through seeds sent to 
Veitch in 1900 and in 1907 to the Arboretum where it is now twelve 
feet high. It has upright, spreading, rather zigzag branches which are 
densely studded with short spurs which bear numerous clusters of 
flowers rose-red in the bud, becoming pale and almost white when fully 
expanded. In central China the peasants collect the leaves and from 
them prepare the palatable beverage which they call red tea. From 
this fact the specific name is derived. 
Malus floribunda, by many persons considered the most beautiful of 
Crabapples, was introduced into Holland by Von Siebold in 1853 from 
Nagasaki, Japan. The place where it grows wild still remains unknown, 
although probably it is one of the high mountains of Kyushu. Japan¬ 
ese botanists and nurserymen confuse it with the Parkman Crab, and 
