Wild Crab Apple in WI?

[shawnv]

Some of my best stands are by some of the wild thorny crab apple thickets of Western WI. Does anyone happen to know what they actually are called because I would love to get my hands on some for a certain knob I want deer to utilize in the future.

 

[sandbur]

In central Minnesota we run into wild crab apples of all sorts.

I would dig some suckers if you like them.

I have grown trees from wild crab apple trees and get a variety of apple sizes. I like the hardiness and this week tried to top work a few of the flowering types into deer crabs.

 

[Rally1148]

Are you sure these are crabapples and not hawthorns?

x2

 

[jaximus]

my first thought was hawthorn also!

big ole' nasty spikes on those buggers!

http://www.2020site.org/trees/hawthorn.html

 

[shawnv]

They don't appear to be hawthorns

 

[shawnv]

I'd agree that they're not hawthorns. Could be any number of crabapples, but I'd guess they have at least some siberian and/or manchurian crab in their genetic makeup.

BTW..what part of western WI are you in? I can't believe how much farther along your trees are than here

This is Trempealeau County.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Def. a crabapple of some sort. Haws have frilly-looking, multi-lobed leaves. Your pix show smooth, oval leaves.

 

[wiscwhip]

shawn, is that whole hillside covered with those trees? How big do the fruits get? Are they all pretty much the same size, form, and taste? It almost looks like they were planted that way purposely. Makes me wonder if someone didn't put them in to make cider or something.

 

[shawnv]

shawn, is that whole hillside covered with those trees? How big do the fruits get? Are they all pretty much the same size, form, and taste? It almost looks like they were planted that way purposely. Makes me wonder if someone didn't put them in to make cider or something.

There are many hillsides covered with these on public and private ground in the area. This was public ground otherwise I would be asking the landowner if I could dig up some suckers. The fruit is no larger than a cherry and all pretty much the same size...haven't tasted any. What I like about them is they they hold all winter long and the deer have done really well even when the winters have been harsh. With that said I would like to fill in one of my hills with these too.

 

[shawnv]

I was doing some more looking, could they be sargent crabapples?

 

[wiscwhip]

I was doing some more looking, could they be sargent crabapples?

I think the fruit might be too large to be sargent? It looks to be bigger than pea-sized in the photo you posted. Sargent typically has very small fruit, in the 1/4" range.

Keep in mind I am no expert, but I have seen some sargent crabs in peoples yards, and I usually think of it as more of an ornamental crab.