Malus x purpurea bears masses of purple-pink flowers following pinkish-red buds in spring and are followed by dark red crabapples that look like cherries. Young foliage has a purple tinge maturing to a deep green later in spring. It oginated at A. Barbier Nursery, Orleans, France before 1900 and has given rise to many well known hybrids. One of the earliest crabs to flower.
- Pollination: self-fertile
- Harvest: Autumn
- Features: Good pollinator for early flowering apples.
Fiala Fr. John L. (1994) Flowering Crabapples The Genus Malus. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
