Malus ioensis 'Plena'
Bechtel's Crab, Violet-scented Crabapple
Malus ioensis 'Plena'
Image courtesy and copyright of
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
Plant Type:Small deciduous flowering and fruiting tree
Maximum Height:6-8m
Soil Type:Loamy soils with free drainage
Position:Full sun
Climatic Zone:Southern Australia, prefers cool areas
Propagation:Grafting
Flowers:Pale pink, late spring

M. ioensis 'Plena' (Bechtel's Crab)

    "We were working in what we call the big nursery this morning and I noticed that the air was filled with a most exquisite fragrance which puzzled me for a moment until I looked around and discovered that it was that glorious late-flowering apple called Malus ioensis (syn. Malus augustifolia). The plants have been in full bloom for two or three weeks and seem to have a substance about the flowers that will stand a great deal more adverse weather conditions than will the earlier-flowering apples."

    "Letters to Garden Lovers", Australian Home Beautiful, December 1941.

    "If any small flowering tree deserves to be 'decorated' it should surely be that exquisite little flowering apple (Malus angustifolia)...I have told you of the exquisite blooms on this little tree, but that is not all - in autumn the foliage is wont to turn to shades of vivid reds and orange-yellow, and so you can place this tree with the utmost confidence in the most prominent position in your garden, for verily it is a 'dual-purpose' tree."

    "Letters to Garden Lovers", Australian Home Beautiful, July 1937.

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