Malus fusca

Oregon crab apple

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Oregon crab apple is a native shrub found in northern California coastal regions, northern Coast Ranges, northern central Coast Counties, and California Rocky Foothills in moist, open conifer forest at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces delicate white flowers in small clusters. Growing with a shrub-like or small tree form reaching heights of 3 to 4 meters, it develops multiple stems with smooth bark. Its leaves are widely lanceolate, 3 to 12 centimeters long with petioles 15 to 50 millimeters, providing a distinctive broad, green canopy. The fruit develops on pedicels 20 to 30 millimeters long, creating small, edible crab apples characteristic of this woodland species.

Habitat: Moist, open conifer forest

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, CaRF, n CCo

California counties: Del Norte, Shasta, Humboldt, Tulare, Mendocino, San Diego, Santa Clara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.