Eggarton Cottages, Eggarton Lane, Godmersham, Kent, CT4 7DY
Tel/Fax: 01227 730242
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Small, thorny, deciduous tree, common in Oak woods and hedges. Buds are pink and the blossoms white-pink when open. Flowers appear in March, followed by the fruits. It can take five years or more for the tree to be mature enough to flower and fruit.
Wood was used for carving and making screws. The wood makes good firewood with a pleasant aroma. Jelly can be made from the fruit. In the Bach flower remedies it is used as a cleansing remedy. Crab Apple detoxes and helps heal skin tissue, is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.
Crab Apple is the third most mentioned species used as a boundary hedging in Anglo-Saxon and Welsh charters. The leaves provide food for the larvae of the Figure of 8, Gothic and Pale Shouldered Brocade moths. Supports 90 different species and birds.
Most prolific on chalky soil. Needs to be in sun to do best.