Japanese crab apple (Sulīgais krebs)

Our collection includes a little noticed apple species very important in breeding – the Japanese flowering crab Malus floribunda. In 1945 American scientists crossed its selected form Nr.821 with domestic apple varieties, to obtain apple-trees resistant to scab. The fruits of this flowering crab are very small, like peas, and 5 generations of crossing in 25 years were needed to obtain large-fruited varieties. From these descend all modern scab resistant apple cultivars.