Malus baccata (L.) Borkh.

Habit

Shrub

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs; sometimes armed, indumentum of simple hairs (sometimes stellate in Rubus). Leaves alternate, simple or pinnately, stipules usually present. Flowers solitary or often in fascicles, racemes, cymes, corymbs or panicles, actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual. Calyx lobes, petals and stamens inserted at margin of calyx cup or tube (hypanthium). Calyx lobes 4-6, sometimes with as many outer epicalyx segments. Petals 4-6 or more, free. Stamens 4-many. Ovary of 1-many free, superior carpels or 4-6-celled, inferior or semi-inferior and united to calyx-tube; styles simple, free, sometimes united; ovules 1 or more per cell. Fruit an achene (often aggregated), follicle, drupe or pome.

Genus Description

Deciduous trees or shrubs. Leaves simple, unlobed; stipules deciduous. Flowers in terminal corymbs on short lateral shoots. Calyx tube ellipsoid, lobes 5. Petals 5. Stamens numerous (20 or more). Ovary 4-6-celled, inferior; styles 4-6, very shortly united at base. Fruit (pome) fleshy, pithy.

Species description

Shrub or tree 3-5m. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, rarely ovate finely serrate, sparsely pubescent along the veins and sometimes along lateral veins mostly beneath; petioles 1-4cm; stipules subulate 3-5mm. Corymbs 3-7-flowered, pedicels 2-3.5cm, slender. Calyx tube 3-4mm, constricted above ovary, lobes lanceolate ± as long. petals obovate 10-15 x 7-10mm white, often pink tinged, glabrous. Styles 4-5, pubescent at base. Pomes ellipsoid 7-8 x 4-5mm, thinly fleshy, red, floral parts deciduous.