The leaves are alternately arranged dark green-colored simple ovals with serrated margins and slightly downy undersides. When cultivated, the size, shape and branch density are determined by rootstock selection and trimming method. The apple is a deciduous tree, generally standing 2 to 4.5 m (6 to 15 ft) tall in cultivation and up to 9 m (30 ft) in the wild. Description A chart demonstrating apple morphology Blossoms, fruits, and leaves of the apple tree ( Malus domestica) Īs late as the 17th century, the word also functioned as a generic term for all fruit including nuts-such as the 14th-century Middle English expression appel of paradis, meaning a banana. The word apple, whose Old English ancestor is æppel, is descended from the Proto-Germanic noun * aplaz, descended in turn from Proto-Indo-European * h₂ébōl. Worldwide production of apples in 2021 was 93 million tonnes, with China accounting for nearly half of the total. In 2010, the fruit's genome was sequenced as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production. Trees and fruit are prone to fungal, bacterial, and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw, and cider or apple juice production. There are more than 7,500 cultivars of apples. Rootstocks are used to control the speed of growth and the size of the resulting tree, allowing for easier harvesting. Apple trees grown without rootstocks tend to be larger and much slower to fruit after planting.

For commercial purposes, including botanical evaluation, apple cultivars are propagated by clonal grafting onto rootstocks.

Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek, and European Christian tradition.Īpples grown from seed tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently lacks desired characteristics. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and were introduced to North America by European colonists. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found. Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree ( Malus spp., among them the domestic or orchard apple Malus domestica).

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