Malus Cultivars J-K

TSO logo

Sponsor

Kindly sponsored by
Francine: 'after many informative Tours and Study Days with the IDS I feel it only fitting to help and promote such a wonderful organisation'

Credits

Julian Sutton (species), Nick Dunn (cultivars) (2021)

Recommended citation
Sutton, J. & Dunn, N. (2021), 'Malus Cultivars J-K' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/malus/malus-cultivars-j-k/). Accessed 2024-03-27.

Genus

Glossary

hybrid
Plant originating from the cross-fertilisation of genetically distinct individuals (e.g. two species or two subspecies).

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Julian Sutton (species), Nick Dunn (cultivars) (2021)

Recommended citation
Sutton, J. & Dunn, N. (2021), 'Malus Cultivars J-K' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/malus/malus-cultivars-j-k/). Accessed 2024-03-27.

We aim to include the most important contemporary ornamental cultivars in Europe and North America, a few likely to become so, and a selection of significant older varieties. Orchard apples are excluded. Where a cultivar can confidently be attributed to a species or hybrid nothospecies, we duplicate the description there, but these cultivar pages include everything.


'Jackii'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus baccata 'Jackii'

Growth Rate/Size: Large (>6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Upright, broadly rounded, very robust
Foliage: Very dark green, very large (to 11 cm long), elliptic
Flower colour: White
Flower size: Medium to large (about 4 cm)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Small to very small (about 1 cm)
Fruit shape: Round
Fruit colour: Purplish-red
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: A clone of M. baccata collected as scions in Seoul, South Korea
Raiser/collector: J.G. Jack, distributed by the Arnold Arboretum, MA, USA
Date of introduction: Collected 1905
General notes: A robust, luxuriantly leafy and highly floriferous selection of a wild species. Now rarely offered commercially, but still quite common in collections on both sides of the Atlantic.
(Description duplicated under Malus baccata ‘Jackii’)


'Jarmin'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus MARILEE®

Growth Rate/Size: Large (>6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Narrowly upright, inverted cone
Foliage: Mid-green
Flower colour: White from bright pink buds
Flower size: Large (>4 cm)
Flower form: Semi-double, 5–10 petals
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Resistant
Parentage/origin: Unknown
Raiser/collector: Marvin Jarmin, WA, USA
Date of introduction: 2003
General notes: Produces almost no fruit. PP 14337 granted 2003.


'Jefgreen'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus EMERALD SPIRE®

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Columnar
Foliage: Green, bronze when young
Flower colour: Light pink from darker pink buds
Flower size: Small (<3 cm)
Flower form: Single
Flower season: Early
Fruit size: Large (>3 cm)
Fruit shape: Round
Fruit colour: Red
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Open pollinated seedling of a purple leaved, unreleased seedling (‘Wijcik’ × ‘Thunderchild’)
Raiser/collector: Wilbert Ronald, Jeffries Nurseries, Manitoba, Canada
Date of introduction: About 2013
General notes: PP 23863 granted 2013. Not very freely flowering or fruiting, marketed primarily for its narrow form and slow growth. Recently-released ‘Jefwall’ (GREEN WALL®) has more abundant white flowers.


'Jeflite'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus STARLITE®

Growth Rate/Size: Large (>6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Upright
Foliage: Dark green
Flower colour: White
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Very small (<1 cm)
Fruit shape: Slightly elongated
Fruit colour: Red
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: ‘Rosthern’ (a columnar variety) × ‘Spring Snow’
Raiser/collector: Wilbert Ronald & Rick Durand, Jeffries Nurseries, Manitoba, Canada
Date of introduction: 2009
General notes: Cold hardy to Zone 2 in prairie Canada, marketed as a replacement for ‘Spring Snow’ where scab is a problem. Canadian plant breeder’s rights apply.


'Jefspire'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus PURPLE SPIRE®

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Columnar
Foliage: Purplish-green, colour intensifying in autumn
Flower colour: Pink
Flower form: Single
Fruit colour: Purple
Parentage/origin: ‘Thunderchild’ × Wijcik’
Raiser/collector: Selected by Jeffries Nurseries, Manitoba, Canada from seedlings raised by David Lane, Summerland Research Station, British Columbia
Date of introduction: Selected 1999
General notes: Sparse flowers and few fruit: marketed for form and foliage. ‘Jefnite’ (MIDNITE SPIRE®), released 2020, has much darker purple foliage.


'Jewelcole'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus RED JEWEL™

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Upright, pyramidal
Foliage: Dark green
Flower colour: White
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Small (<2 cm)
Fruit shape: Round
Fruit colour: Bright red
Fruit season: Very persistent, sometimes through to spring
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Good resistance, but to fireblight only fair
Raiser/collector: Cole Nursery, OH, USA
Date of introduction: 1972
General notes: PP 3267


'JFS KW139MX'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus RUBY DAYZE®

Growth Rate/Size: Large (>6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Narrowly upright
Foliage: Purple-red, bronze later
Flower colour: Bright magenta-pink
Flower size: Large (>4 cm across)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Very small (<1 cm)
Fruit shape: Flattened oval
Fruit colour: Red
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Open pollinated seedling of ‘KW-31MX’, an unreleased Schmidt selection with green leaves and white flowers.
Raiser/collector: Keith Warren, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR, USA
Date of introduction: 2019
General notes: PP 31232 granted 2019.


'JFS KW207'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus SPARKLING SPRITE®

Growth Rate/Size: Small (<4 m)
Form/shape/habit: Dense, broadly rounded
Foliage: Bright green
Flower colour: Pink buds opening blush, ageing white
Flower size: Small (<3 cm)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Small to very small (about 1 cm)
Fruit shape: Round to oval
Fruit colour: Golden-yellow
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Open pollinated seedling of ‘KW-8MX’, a dwarf, unreleased Schmidt selection.
Raiser/collector: Keith Warren, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR, USA
Date of introduction: 2017
General notes: PP 27954 granted 2017.


'JFS KW213MX'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus RASPBERRY SPEAR®

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Narrowly columnar
Foliage: Purple
Flower colour: Red-purple
Flower size: Medium (<4 cm)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Small (<2 cm)
Fruit shape: Round to slightly oval
Fruit colour: Red
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Open pollinated seedling of ‘KW-8MX’, an upright, unreleased Schmidt selection.
Raiser/collector: Keith Warren, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR, USA
Date of introduction: 2017
General notes: PP 31008 granted 2019. Sister seedling to the white flowered ‘JFS KW214MX’.


'JFS KW214MX'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus IVORY SPEAR®

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Narrowly columnar
Foliage: Dark green
Flower colour: White from pink buds
Flower size: Medium (<4 cm)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Small (<2 cm)
Fruit shape: Rounded, slightly flattened
Fruit colour: Red
Fruit season: Persistent
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Open pollinated seedling of ‘KW-8MX’, an upright, unreleased Schmidt selection.
Raiser/collector: Keith Warren, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR, USA
Date of introduction: 2017
General notes: PP 31076 granted 2019. Sister seedling to the purple leaved, red-purple flowered ‘JFS KW213MX’.


'JFS-KW5'

Synonyms / alternative names
Malus ROYAL RAINDROPS®

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Upright, spreading
Foliage: Purple; leaves emerging with flowers usually entire, later leaves usually deeply 5-lobed.
Flower colour: Red-purple
Flower size: Small to medium (about 3 cm across)
Flower form: Single
Fruit size: Very small (<1 cm)
Fruit shape: Round
Fruit colour: Red
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly resistant
Parentage/origin: Seedling of ‘Schmidtcutleaf’
Raiser/collector: Keith Warren, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR, USA
Date of introduction: About 2003
General notes: PP 14375 granted 2003.


'John Downie'

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Rounded, open
Flower colour: Pure white from pink buds
Flower size: Medium (<4 cm)
Flower form: Single
Flower season: Early
Fruit size: Medium (<3 cm)
Fruit shape: Conical
Fruit colour: Orange-red
Fruit season: Early
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Highly susceptible
Raiser/collector: E. Holmes, Whittington, Lichfield, UK
Date of introduction: 1875
General notes: Probably still the best known crabapple in Britain. At its best, it has showy flowers and large, attractive fruit, but is susceptible to scab in comparison with many more recent hybrids. It tends to drop its fruit quite quickly, so jelly makers need to be vigilant. Named for John Downie, a nurseryman (one time partner in the famous Handsworth Nurseries, Sheffield), and friend of the raiser.


'Katherine'

Growth Rate/Size: Small (<4 m)
Form/shape/habit: Rounded, dense
Flower colour: Light pink ageing white, from pink buds
Flower size: Large (>4 cm)
Flower form: Double, with 15–24 petals
Flower season: Mid
Fruit size: Very small (<1 cm)
Fruit shape: Spherical
Fruit colour: Yellow with occasional red cheek
Fruit season: Early
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Low susceptibility
Parentage/origin: Probably a selection of M. × hartwigii
Raiser/collector: Bernard Slavin, Durand-Eastman Park, Rochester, NY, USA, 1928
Date of introduction: Distributed by the Arnold Arboretum, 1943
General notes: A delightful small tree with impressive double flowers, although fruit is sparse. Common in North America, it should be grown more often in Europe.


'Kola'

Growth Rate/Size: Medium (<6 m)
Form/shape/habit: Broadly spreading
Foliage: Large, lobed
Flower colour: Soft pink
Flower size: Large (>4 cm)
Flower form: Single
Flower season: Late
Fruit size: Large (>3 cm)
Fruit shape: Round
Fruit colour: Green ageing yellow
Fruit season: Mid
Disease resistance/susceptibility: Resistant
Parentage/origin: M. coronaria ‘Elk River’ × M. domestica ‘Duchess of Oldenburg’
Raiser/collector: Niels Hansen, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, USA
Date of introduction: 1922
General notes: Although rare, this cultivar is worth mentioning as one of the first tetraploid hybrids, with ongoing breeding potential. It has the large, lobed leaves of M. coronaria, with excellent autumn colour, attractive flowers, and large green fruit turning yellow and waxy as they age. ‘Kola’ means ‘friend’ in the Sioux language.