Flowering tree

Japanese flowering crabapple

Malus × floribunda

Japanese flowering crabapple (Malus × floribunda) is a tree in the Rosaceae family.

🌷 Flowering tree

Japanese flowering crabapple is a popular flowering tree. It's on our flower lists for 17 states.

–states where USDA records it

17Bloomipedia state lists include it

13U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden trees are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin

Quick look

Malus floribunda, common name Japanese flowering crabapple, Japanese crab, purple chokeberry, or showy crabapple, originates from Japan and East Asia. It may be a hybrid of M. toringo with M. baccata, in which case it would be written as Malus × floribunda.
From Wikipedia's article Malus floribunda, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4 research-grade sightings of it in Massachusetts, ranking #142 among the 188 flowers on our Massachusetts list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #125 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2 research-grade sightings of it in New York, ranking #156 among the 193 flowers on our New York list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Not enough flowering records on iNaturalist to chart yet.

Bloom time in the 17 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Massachusetts	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	4
California	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	3
New York	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
Colorado	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Washington	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Connecticut	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Illinois	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Indiana	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Kentucky	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Maryland	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Missouri	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
North Carolina	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New Jersey	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Ohio	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Oregon	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Wisconsin	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Massachusetts: n/a Massachusetts's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{MESA list}
California: n/a California's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
New York: n/a New York's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead.
Connecticut: n/a Connecticut's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{CT E/T/SC list}
Illinois: n/a Illinois's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Indiana: No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead.
Kentucky: n/a Kentucky's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Maryland: n/a Maryland's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Missouri: n/a Missouri's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
North Carolina: n/a North Carolina's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
New Jersey: n/a New Jersey's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1}
New Mexico: n/a New Mexico's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Ohio: n/a Ohio's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAC 1501:18-1-03}
Oregon: n/a Oregon's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Wisconsin: n/a Wisconsin's list is by species, so a whole genus isn't assessed. ^{NR 27.03}

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. 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.