Malus × purpurea

Planted: 1922

This tree is at the east end of the Malus avenue.

Distribution:	The name covers hybrids between Malus sieversii subsp. niedzwetzkyana and Malus × atrosanguinea; the latter is itself a hybrid of uncertain parentage. Type clone raised around 1900 by the Barbier nursery, Orleans, France. Rarely seen
Planting Date:	1922, purchased from J Cheal and Sons, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, Sussex.
Growth Habit:	In habit it is more erect and open than M. floribunda and does not develop the same dense thicket of branches. The leaves are larger, sometimes slightly lobed, of a purplish red that is especially pleasing in the delicately tinted early stage.
Bark:
Leaf:	The leaves are larger, sometimes slightly lobed, of a purplish red that is especially pleasing in the delicately tinted early stage.
Flowers:	In the bud state the flowers are of a delightful ruby red, becoming paler and more purple on opening fully. The stamens, calyx, and flower-stalk are also richly coloured. The flowers are in clusters of six or seven and expand in April.
Fruit:	Fruits globose, about the size and shape of large cherries, pendulous on stalks about 2.5 cm long, dark vinous red, the calyx adhering at the end.
Toxicity:	Not known
Potential tree size:	10m
Uses:	Ornamental
Plant Hunter:	Not known
Introduction Date:	Not known
Anecdotes and Comments:	Later selections, especially ‘Aldenhamensis’ and ‘Lemoinei’ are much more commonly seen.