prairie crabapple, Malus ioensis

I always hoped to find Michigan's other native American crabapple. Had to go to Texas to see it. It has fuzz where our other species is smooth. Michigan Flora suggests that these may have been brought here by Native Americans. One of our two sites for it was an Ottawa settlement. The early people, including European arrivals, were much more appreciative of crabapples than we are with our wimpy modern taste buds. Prairie crab grows in AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, OK, and TX. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Travis Co TX, 4/17/22. Rose family, Rosaceae.