Roberts Crab crab apple trees

PreviousNext

• Check pollinators >

• Picking season: Mid
• Self-fertility: Self-fertile
• Pollination group: 2

An unusual red-fleshed crab-apple which has large purple fruits. The juice is a claret red colour.

See our full description ...

Roberts Crab crab apple trees for sale

• 1Dwarf, 1-year bare-root tree $39.95

  Mature height: 6ft-9ft after 10 years
  Dwarf rootstock
  

  Out of stock
  Sorry we have sold out for this season
• 2Semi-standard, 1-year bare-root tree $39.95

  Mature height: 10ft-16ft after 10 years
  Semi-vigorous rootstock
  

  Out of stock
  Sorry we have sold out for this season

All about Roberts Crab crab apple trees

Roberts Crab is an unusual crab-apple, grown both for its attractive ornamental qualities, and for culinary uses.

The abundant spring blossom is dark pink, and the leaves have a bronze tint.

Ripening in late summer, the crab-apples have an unusual dark purple color. They are also very large - the size of small apples.

The main attraction in the kitchen is that the purple fruits have a rich red flesh, making Roberts Crab an excellent variety for crab-apple jams and jellies.

The red flesh also contains anthocynanin compounds, which may have anti-oxidant qualities. A 2009 study by researchers at USDA found Roberts Crab to have particularly high levels of Cyanidin-3-0-galactoside.

The juice is a dark red claret color, which is darker than that of other red-fleshed crab-apples. The juice flavor is sharp and crab-like, and can be used in hard cider blends.

How to grow

Unlike most crab apples this variety is not a good pollinator of other apple varieties..

Roberts Crab is very precocious, and is likely to blossom and fruit within a 1-2 years after planting. It grows with an attractive upright spreading form and is reasonably vigorous.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

Roberts Crab characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
• Pollination group2
• Pollinating othersPoor
• Picking seasonMid
• UsesCulinaryJuiceHard cider
• Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Period of origin1950 - 1999
• Flesh colourPink / Red
• Fruit colorPurple

Similar varieties

• 
  Almata
  Almata is a red-fleshed apple, with an acidic flavor. The blossom is deep red.
• 
  Pink Pearl
  Pink Pearl features bright pink flesh, and pink apple blossom.
• 
  Redfield
  An unusual apple / crab-apple cross, with distinctive red-flesh.