Description

Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus, native to Europe and western Asia. Its scientific name means "forest apple".

The wild apple is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree, but can also grow into a multi-stemmed bush. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 14 metres (46 feet) tall with trunk diameters of usually 23–45 centimetres (9–17.5 inches), although diameters exceeding 90 centimetres (35 in) have been recorded. The leaves are roundish-oval and sometimes hairy on the underside. The hermaphrodite flowers appear in May, slightly preceding hawthorn, have white or pinkish petals and are insect-pollinated. The small pome-fruits are around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, ripen in autumn and fall to the ground. The bark is light brown and breaks up in flakes. The branches are thorny, especially in response to pruning or browsing.

European wild apples hybridise readily with domesticated apples. This can make identification difficult, as hybrids commonly exhibit traits that are transitional with respect to the two parent species. Generally, a reliable identification cannot be made without genetic testing, however, there are clues that can help identify individuals that are likely to be pure wild apples. Wild apple leaves tend to be somewhat smaller, stiffer and shinier. In comparison to those of both domesticated and hybrid apples, the underside of wild apple leaves also tends to be less hairy, often lacking hairs altogether. The crown of wild apples is also densely branched, whereas the crown of domesticated apples tends to be more loosely arranged with fewer, straighter branches. Finally, wild apple fruits tend to be smaller. The apples are usually below the threshold of 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, while domesticated and hybrid apples tend to be above. None of these features is entirely conclusive, however, and the best field identification results from their combined utilization.

Whole Genomes

Whole Genome Sequences & Annotations for Malus sylvestris

• Malus sylvestris Haploid Consensus Whole Genome v1.0
• Malus sylvestris Diploid Consensus Whole Genome v1.0

S genes

Malus sylvestris Haploid_Consensus_Whole_Genome_v1.0 S genes

Query	Chr	Size(bp)	Coordinates	BLASTn Hit	BLASTn %ID	Domain
SFBB.XVI	Chr17	32456471	28522480-28523667	MdSFBB.XVI-S9	98.737	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XVII	Chr17	32456471	28568921-28567716	MdSFBB.XVII-S9	99.42	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XIV	Chr17	32456471	28571220-28572425	MdSFBB.XIV-S9	99.254	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.Ib	Chr17	32456471	28646496-28645294	MdSFBB.Ib-S9	99.584	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.VI	Chr17	32456471	28679574-28678396	MdSFBB.VI-S9	98.219	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.III	Chr17	32456471	28755498-28756679	MdSFBB.III-S9	99.408	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XII	Chr17	32456471	28803288-28802116	MdSFBB.XII-S9	94.629	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.X	Chr17	32456471	29082091-29080910	MdSFBB.X-S9	91.709	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.Ia	Chr17	32456471	29117017-29115815	MdSFBB.Ia-S9	91.771	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.Ic	Chr17	32456471	29153351-29152149	MdSFBB.Ia-S9	97.257	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XV	Chr17	32456471	29223430-29222216	MdSFBB.XV-S9	95.802	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.IV	Chr17	32456471	29264726-29263542	MdSFBB.IV-S9	97.126	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.II	Chr17	32456471	29274495-29273302	MdSFBB.II-S9	96.315	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.V	Chr17	32456471	29313504-29312326	MdSFBB.V-S9	97.373	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.VII	Chr17	32456471	29405636-29404455	MdSFBB.VII-S9	95.737	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XIX	Chr17	32456471	29508770-29507538	ON918629.1, PbrSFBB.XIX-S17	96.756	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XVIII	Chr17	32456471	29528626-29527442	MdSFBB.XVIII-S9	96.203	F-box; F_box_assoc
SFBB.XXI	Chr17	32456471	30337173-30338522	MdSFBB.XXI-S9	99.63	F-box; F_box_assoc
S-RNase	Chr17	32456471	28922861-28922610,28922462-28922028	MG598501.1, S23-RNase	100	RNase_T2

Downloads

The Malus sylvestris S gene sequences are available in FASTA format.

CDS and Protein (FASTA file)

S-gene_Malus_sylvestris

Publications

Sun X, Jiao C, Schwaninger H, Chao CT, Ma Y, Duan N, Khan A, Ban S, Xu K, Cheng L, Zhong GY, Fei Z. Phased diploid genome assemblies and pan-genomes provide insights into the genetic history of apple domestication. Nat Genet. 2020 Dec;52(12):1423-1432. doi: 10.1038/s41588-020-00723-9.

Liu BB, Ren C, Kwak M, Hodel RGJ, Xu C, He J, Zhou WB, Huang CH, Ma H, Qian GZ, Hong DY, Wen J. Phylogenomic conflict analyses in the apple genus Malus s.l. reveal widespread hybridization and allopolyploidy driving diversification, with insights into the complex biogeographic history in the Northern Hemisphere. J Integr Plant Biol. 2022 May;64(5):1020-1043. doi: 10.1111/jipb.13246.