Page 8 - Edible Trees For Tucson

Apple

Malus ×domestica Rosaceae

D ESCRIPTI O N
The Apple is a delicious, diverse fruit with
thousands of unique cultivars adapted for desert
to alpine regions. Leaves are deciduous, dark
green, simple, alternate and finely-serrated along
the margins. Five-petalled, white to pink-tinged
flowers are produced in spring simultaneously
with leaf budding. Fruit matures in late summer
to early winter with many distinct flavors, and
may be red, yellow, green, pink, or russetted.
Flesh is pale yellow to white to blushed pink.

E THN O B O T ANI CAL N O TES
• Originated from a wild apple species native
to Central Asia.
• Wild apple forests grow in the mountains of
Kazakhstan and China.
• Apples are one of the most important fruit
crops worldwide.
• In Tucson, try the Anna Apple and Dorsett
Golden varieties.

P L ANTIN G N O TES
Apples are a widely adapted fruit tree, with
varieties suited for all regions of Arizona.

• Chill hours: Low-chill varieties need 200-400
hours; high-chill need 800-1,200 hours.
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