Oregon crab apple
Malus fusca · Rosaceae
Oregon crab apple (Malus fusca) is a perennial shrub in the Rosaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 9 and warmer, down to about 27°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 15 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–8 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 9 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
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 grows in partial shade. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 9.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 15 ft, making it a small tree or large shrub. It grows slowly.
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. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 33 to 120 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 207 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches.
Propagating it
Bare root is the only propagation method USDA lists. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated low. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Malus
- Japanese flowering crab apple Malus floribunda
- prairie crab apple Malus ioensis
- apple Malus mill
- Manchurian crab apple Malus mandshurica
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MAFU, 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, Edible, fall conspicuous, 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, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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