This cider apple, also known as Hughes' Crab and Virginia Crab, was the most common fruit variety grown in eighteenth-century Virginia. It is thought to be a cross between the native American crabapple, Malus angustifolia, and the domesticated European apple of horticulture. It produces a delicious cinnamon-flavored cider that is both sugary and pungent. Thomas Jefferson planted his entire north orchard exclusively with this variety and once wrote that crushing the juicy Hewes' Crab for cider was like "squeezing a wet sponge."

Hardy fruit tree that can be grown as an ornamental.
Small, rounded fruits of a dull red, streaked with green. Ripens in September in Central Virginia.
Grows 12 to 15 feet in height.
Needs a pollinator.
Prefers full sun and compost-amended soil. Fertilize for the first few years. Mulch to conserve moisture.
USDA Zones 4 through 9.
zone4,zone5,zone6,zone7,zone8,zone9
This plant will ship bare root beginning February 20th

Our trees are propagated on MM-111 rootstock, which produces a tree that will grow to about 75% of a standard apple tree’s size. They are drought and disease resistant and do not require staking. They are tolerant of both heavy and light soils and are relatively long-lived.