Spring has come to Shoyoen at the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden. The paths are lined with an abundance of attractive flowering shrubs and blossoming trees.
Particularly striking at the moment are the Japanese Flowering Crabapples (Malus floribunda) which may be found below the Tea House on the west side of the garden. The trees are a mass of sweetly scented, light pink blossoms and crimson buds.
Malus is a genus comprising 30–55 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, and includes the domesticated orchard apple (M. domestica).
The Japanese Flowering Crabapple originates from Japan and East Asia and may be a wild species or a hybrid of M. sieboldii x M. baccata. They are small deciduous trees with narrow leaves on arching branches.
The fruits are red and yellow and about 1cm in diameter. They are tart and woody, and rarely eaten raw for this reason. In some Asian cultures they are valued as a sour condiment, sometimes eaten with salt and chilli pepper, or shrimp paste.
Crabapples are an excellent source of pectin, and their juice can be made into a ruby-coloured preserve with a full, spicy flavour. They are also sometimes used in cider making.
As Old English Wergulu, the crabapple is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century. Crabapple has also been listed as one of the 38 plants that are used to prepare Bach flower remedies.
Japanese Flowering Crabapples also lend themselves to bonsai.
Ian McAlister & Karen Hagan