Garden flower

Apple

Malus domestica

Apple (Malus domestica) is a tree in the Rosaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

★ Official state flower of Arkansas (1901)🌷 Garden flowerNot native to Arkansas

Apple is a popular garden flower. It's grown in Arkansas gardens, so wild records are few.

40states where USDA records it

6AR sightings*

4,329U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026. Planted garden flowers are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Arkansas

🏅

Arkansas's official state flower since 1901. Visit the Arkansas page → ^{Ark. Code § 1-4-109} The law says only “apple blossom,” so we show the orchard apple.

Quick look

An apple is the round, edible fruit of an apple tree. Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple, the most widely grown in the genus, are cultivated worldwide. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Eurasia before they were introduced to the American continent by European colonists.
From Wikipedia's article Apple, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 40 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Arkansas. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 6 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #127 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (366 records)

There are only a handful of Arkansas flowering records (garden plants are mostly left out of research-grade records), so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Arkansas.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Fruits can be eaten raw and cooked in a variety of dishes.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Malus sylvestrus (“Apple”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records apple in 40 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Ashley, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Johnson, St. Francis, Washington, Yell.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Introduced; Lower 48 states: Introduced; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Introduced.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Malus communis, Malus praecox, Pyrus pumila.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 521 counties across 32 states; the most are in Ohio (87), Virginia (57), Pennsylvania (47).

Other Malus on Bloomipedia (2): Sweet crabapple, Japanese flowering crabapple.

More from the Rosaceae family (103 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Roses (genus Rosa), Multiflora rose, Mock strawberry, Black cherry, Toyon, Thimbleberry, Wineberry, Black raspberry.

More Arkansas flowers

Roses (genus Rosa)

Rosa

★ NY state flower🌷 Garden flower

🌼 Blooms in AR: April–June

Black cherry

Prunus serotina

Native

🌼 Blooms in AR: March–April

Mock strawberry

Potentilla indica

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in AR

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MAPU.
iNaturalist, Malus domestica: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Apple (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ark. Code § 1-4-109: Arkansas state flower.
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Malus domestica (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Bob Miller via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.