Malus rivularis
Douglas ex Hook.
Oregon crab apple
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Description
A temperate tree in the rose family (Rosaceae) commonly known as Oregon crab apple, grown for its fruit.
This description is brief — help expand it
Edible Uses
Fruit is eaten.
Medicinal Uses
The oblong fruit can be eaten, but has a sour flavor. The fruit can also be used for extraction of pectin, useful in helping make jams and jellies from other fruits, and is also made into jams and jellies itself. The bark can be used as an herbal medicine. It is also grown in parks and gardens as an ornamental plant. Pacific crabapple fruits were prized by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest as a food source, and were gathered all along the coast. As a traditional medicinal plant, infusions of the bark and/or fruit were used, including for stomach disorders, skin and eye infections, and as an analgesic. The tree was also valued for its tough, resilient wood, used for making implements, and for its bark, used for a wide range of medicinal purposes.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant.
Where It Grows
North America, USA,
Synonyms
References (2)
- Fam. nat. syn. monogr. 3:215. 1847
- Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 542 (As Pyrus rivularis)
