DUMFRIES and Galloway has been declared a hotspot for pure crab apples, following a scientific project.
The DG Woodlands group have tested 110 samples of crab apple trees from across the region and 80 per cent were found to be ‘pure’ crab apples.
The results back up previous work which identified that Galloway hosts a major proportion of the UK’s rare wild crab apple trees.
Explaining, spokesman McNabb Laurie said: “Crab apple is the only apple native to the UK. Other apples (malus domestica) came to the British Isles approx. 1000 years ago and since then the two varieties have tended to hybridise.
“For various historical reasons, the D&G crab apples have remained remarkably pure by comparison – presumably due to land use and low number of orchards etc.
“This 80 per cent result endorses the suggestion that D&G is a hotspot for the remaining ‘pure’ crab apples, i.e. malus sylvestris.”
This project involved local citizen scientists from across the region and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh to DNA-test the samples gathered.
McNabb added: “We were surprised by the level of interest in the project and had to increase the sample size to accommodate all submissions. This only highlights the enthusiasm for crab apples locally – a totemic tree in our landscape. Trees tested vary from Eskdalemuir through to Wigtownshire.
“Reviewing a map of the results, there appeared to be no obvious east – west trend to the ‘pure’ trees, but the ‘80% pure’ figure endorsed a previous batch of testing done in 2022.”
Reviewing the results, Jools Cox, a local crab apple advocate, said: “We now have the locations of many remote trees that have not been hybridised, from which to collect seed. Our seeds are going to specialist native Scottish tree nurseries and soon native crab apple saplings will be available to buy. “We also have many people locally growing on seedlings so a small number of saplings are available for planting out in remote areas. Let us know if you have somewhere in mind to plant.”
Markus Ruhsam, from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, added:
“Testing more trees has confirmed our previous results that Dumfries and Galloway is one of the top areas for pure crab apple in the UK”
A free online event will take place on January 28 to highlight the background to the crab apple distribution in the UK and what these results mean for this area.
To reserve a ticket, go to https://fienta.com/galloway-crab-apples-a-year-of-discovery.
- A short report of the project and findings can be found on the DG Woodland website, at www.dgwoodlands.org.uk
