Manchurian crab apple
Malus mandshurica · Rosaceae
Manchurian crab apple (Malus mandshurica) is catalogued by the USDA PLANTS database. USDA records it as hardy in zone 2 and warmer, down to about -43°F.
At a glance
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
|---|---|
| Mature height | 20 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.2–8 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 2 and warmer USDA |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.2 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 2.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 20 ft, making it a small tree or large shrub. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as long.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 15 to 55 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 110 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 26 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Malus
- Japanese flowering crab apple Malus floribunda
- Oregon crab apple Malus fusca
- prairie crab apple Malus ioensis
- apple Malus mill
Similar role and hardiness
- cotoneaster Cotoneaster integerrimus
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MAMA37, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.