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Pillar Crabapple – Malus tschonoskii Family Rosaceae – Rose Family Also called pillar crab, pillar apple, or chonosuki crab. USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8. |
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 Pillar Apple Tree, from graft, is 23 years old |
 Same tree in autumn |
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Pillar crab is a vigorous tree with distinctive columnar habit. Noted for its autumn color, it sports white flowers, tinged pink, in May followed by rounded red-flushed yellow-green fruit. It can grow to 30 ft by 6 ft (9 m by 1.8 m) in 20 years, with an ultimate height of 40 ft (12 m); so sayeth the Royal Horticultural Society. However, in my wanderings at The Morton Arboretum in northern Illinois, I have yet to see one taller than about 20 feet.
Grows best in full sun but will tolerate some shade. Best in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Tolerant of humid conditions, but shallow-rooted and must be watered during dry periods. It will also benefit with a 3-4-inch layer of organic mulch. Can be grown from seed or propagated by grafting in mid-winter [2].
Pillar crab is scusceptible to apple scab, apple canker, powdery mildew, and fireblight. Wooly aphid and red spider mites can also inflict damage [2]. |
| References: 1. Pillar apple Morton Arboretum's accession 59-83*5 and 59-84-1 photos by Bruce Marlin 2. Royal Horticultural Society, Malus tschonoskii |
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Family Rosaceae – Rose Family; Fruit Trees Containing Hawthorns, Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plums, Peach, Almond, Mountain-Ash and Whitebeam. Rosaceae is a large family of plants with about 3,000 species in ~100 genera. Crabapple and other fruit trees provide some of our most outstanding flowering ornamentals, as well as food for birds and other wildlife. Tree Encyclopedia | Tree Index | Fruit Tree Index |
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