Native Apple Trees with Paul Kron

Most apple trees that we grow in our gardens and orchards are not native to North America. DNA tells us that these trees originate in the mountains of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. But there are some crabapple trees that are native to North America. In this episode we talk to Paul Kron, Research Associate at the Plant Population and Evolution Research Lab at the University of Guelph about native apple trees.

Click here to watch a 9-minute video segment from the hour-long podcast to learn the history of apple trees, how feral apple trees differ from native ones, and to learn the mystery around Malus coronaria's reproduction.

MORE INFORMATION:

• Most of the Husband lab research on Malus coronaria has taken place at rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge, Ontario (https://raresites.org/). Rare is an excellent spot to see Malus coronaria trees in a publicly accessible area.
• Paul's lab offers apple identification services to homeowners who want to identify the variety of an old apple tree near them. 

Additional resources:

• Consider checking out the Green Legacy Program for Wellington County residents or your local department of natural resources as a potential source of native apple trees
• This month's recommended resource: Preserving Wild Foods: A Modern Forager's Recipes for Curing, Canning, Smoking, and Pickling by Raquel Pelzel

The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website http://www.orchardpeople.com.

Formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show, from germination in January 2016 until December 2023, we have grown over the years, thanks to the collective knowledge and collaboration of our monthly guests, organizations, and audience from around the world.

We offer something for everyone to support your fruit tree care journey, whether you prefer to learn through listening, watching, and/or reading.

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• (00:00) - The Ancient Apple Trees of Kazakhstan
• (00:43) - The Journey of Apples to Europe
• (01:37) - Introduction to Native North American Apple Trees
• (02:02) - Meet Paul Kron: Apple Tree Expert
• (02:22) - Understanding Native vs. Feral Apple Trees
• (03:48) - Hybridization and Genetic Studies
• (04:28) - Listener Questions and Emails: What is a Native Apple
• (05:06) - Distribution and Misconceptions of Native Apple Trees
• (06:43) - Growing and Using Native Apple Trees
• (08:09) - Pollination and Genetic Testing
• (22:15) - The Mystery of Native Crabapple Reproduction
• (36:43) - Final Thoughts and Listener Reviews