Orange Pippin logo
All about apples, pears, plums, and cherries - and orchards where they are grown

Chestnut Crab crab-apple

Malus domestica
/ 3 see reviews
Chestnut Crab
Large cooking and dessert crab apple. Attractive, reddish bronze fruit.  Crisp, juicy sweet flesh with a pleasing nut-like flavor. Ripens over a long period.

Also known as

  • MN240

Chestnut Crab crab-apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Chestnut Crab
  • Chestnut Crab
  • Chestnut Crab

USDA identification images for Chestnut Crab

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Offspring of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 22 Sep 2020  VERMONT, United States
      Recently bought a peck at Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, Vermont. Small, very sweet apples. No acidity or tarteness. But not simply sugary, they have a nice complexity of flavors. I wouldn't want a whole orchard full of them, but I would want one or two trees, they're quite unique and good.
    • 24 Aug 2018  PA, United States
      I planted a chestnut crab in my yard in Bozeman, MT in 2002. We had two bumper crops after about 2012 and several busts, mostly because of late spring frosts. In my opinion, this is the best-tasting apple in existence, like drinking a fine white wine. Leaving it behind when we moved to Bethlehem, PA this year was not easy, and I'm eagerly looking for a fruit stand or orchard in eastern PA that sells them.
    • 01 Sep 2016  MONTANA/GALLATIN, United States
      We have two of these in our yard in SW Montana. We get a good crop every 2-3 years. Mainly eat them fresh off the tree and in pies. This year, as usual, we shared our crop with the birds but still made 9 delicious pies.
    • 15 Jan 2015  IA, Australia
      One of my favorite little apples. Very sweet, but with a very unique and distinctive flavor, very aromatic. There's certainly no hint of crabbyness in this one.

    Tree register

    United States

    Canada

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 22nd April  2022  - tree owned by Busch83 in Port Republic, United States

    2020 season

    • 30th March  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2017 season

    • 31st May  2017  - tree owned by fendwick in Bemidji, United States

    2016 season

    • 20th May  2016  - tree owned by fendwick in Bemidji, United States

    2012 season

    • 18th April  2012  - tree owned by Chuck in Worthington, United States

    2011 season

    • 17th May  2011  - tree owned by Kris in Holden, United States

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2020 season

    • 4th week August  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2011 season

    • 2nd week September  2011  - tree owned by Kris in Holden, United States

    Origins

    • Species: Malus species - Crab-apple
    • Parentage: Wealthy x Keswick Codlin seedling
    • Originates from: United States
    • Introduced: 1949
    • Developed by: University of Minnesota

    Identification

    • Country of origin: United States
    • Period of origin: 1900 - 1949
    • Fruit colour: Orange / Red
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Flowering month: April
    • Leaf colour - autumn: Green
    • Flowering duration: Average (2-3 weeks)
    • Flower form: Single flower (5-8 petals)
    • Leaf colour - young: Green
    • Flesh colour: Cream
    • Fruit size: Large
    • Developer: University of Minnesota

    Using

    • Picking season: Mid
    • Keeping (of fruit): 2-3 weeks
    • Flavour quality: Very good
    • Flavour style (apples): Sweeter
    • Juice style: Sharper
    • Cropping: Good
    • Fruit persistence: Ripens over a period
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Food uses: Culinary
    • Food uses: Juice
    • Food uses: Hard cider
    • Picking month: September
    • Picking period: early September
    • Wildlife: Attractive to birds
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Beginner
    • Flowering group: 3
    • Pollinating others: Average
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Vigour: Slightly small
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    Climate

    • Cold hardiness (USDA): Zone 3 (-40C)
    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Cold-hardiness: Cold-hardy
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cold (< 20C / 67F)

    Other qualities

    • Disease resistance: Good
    • Cedar apple rust: Some resistance

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Chestnut Crab crab-apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Chestnut Crab:

    United States




    References


    Varieties you viewed