Malus trilobata, the Lebanese wild apple, also known as the erect crab apple, three-lobed apple or deer apple, is a species of apple in the rose family (Rosaceae). M. trilobata has a discontinuous range in the eastern Mediterranean, including Thrace, coastal Anatolia and the Levant, but almost always as a rare species. It bears edible fruits and has been noted for its medicinal properties. Due to its attractive shape, bloom and foliage along with its drought and frost tolerance, it has found increasing interest in gardening and landscaping. Some authorities place it in the segregate genusEriolobus, as Eriolobustrilobatus, either alone or together with the closely related hawthorn-leaf apple (Malus florentina) from the central Mediterranean. The species is thought to be threatened and declining.
The taxonomic history of M. trilobata is complex, reflecting its unique morphology.[2] The species was originally described by Jean Louis Marie Poiret as a kind of hawthorn, Crataegus trilobata, based on a specimen collected by Jacques Labillardière in Lebanon, in 1810. Since then, the species has also been placed within the genera Pyrus, as Pyrus trilobata (Poir.) DC.Prodr., Sorbus, as Sorbus trilobata (Poir.) Heynhold, Cormus, as Cormus trilobata (Poir.) Decne., and Malus, as well as in Eriolobus (Ser.) Roem., whereby the latter was variably considered to include only M. trilobata or also M. florentina. Many authorities have sought to emphasise the species' distinctiveness by assigning it to unique genera, sections or subsections.[2] Today, two competing treatments prevail: under the one that is currently (as of October 2025) accepted by Plants of the World Online, it is considered to belong to Malus.[3][4] Traditionally, many researchers have further classified the species within its own section, Eriolobus,[5] but the validity of these subgroupings has been questioned more recently.[4] Alternatively, some authorities prefer to separate M. trilobata within its own genus Eriolobus, as Eriolobustrilobatus.[6][7]
Both positions appear to be supported by research findings. M. trilobata resembles other Malus species in floral morphology, and it is similar to some Malus species in leaf shape. For these reasons, Kazimierz Browicz (1969) considered it to be most closely related to Malus doumeri and, to a lesser extent, to Macromeles tschonoskii (which is also often placed in Malus), both of which are native to East Asia.[2] On the other hand, M. trilobata differs in the grit cells in its fruits, which are more commonly associated with Pyrus,[2] even though they also occur in some other Malus species.[8] Furthermore, phytochemical studies have shown that, uniquely in Malus, trilobatin replaces phloridzin as the main phenolic compound of the leaves in M. trilobata,[9] which may similarly be taken to indicate a need for separation.[2]
In either case, phylogenetic studies based on plastid and nuclear DNA indicate that M. trilobata falls between other species normally classified as Malus, and it appears to be sister to M. florentina, with both species often, but not always, positioned together on a branch between Malus proper and other Maloideae such as Pyrus and Sorbus.[10][8][11] These studies also suggest a relatively close evolutionary relationship with the North American species prairie crabapple (Malus ioensis), southern crabapple (M. angustifolius) and sweet crabapple (M. coronaria).[10][12][8]Malus antiqua, a species with lobed leaves from the Pliocene (5.33–2.58 Mya) of Europe, is considered to be ancestral to M. trilobata, M. florentina, or both.[13][10]
Some researchers recognise two varieties: Eriolobus (=Malus) trilobatus var. trilobatus, which occurs throughout the species' range, and Eriolobus trilobatus var. sorgeri, which is only found in Gömbe, Antalya Province, Turkey, and is distinguished by having much smaller leaves than the type variety.[14][15] Current consensus, however, recognises no sudivisions.[3][4]
Description
M. trilobata is a medium-sized deciduous tree. It usually assumes a narrow, upright habit with horizontal or ascending branching and a mature size of 6–10 metres (240–390in) or up to 18 metres (59 feet) height by 7m (23ft) width.[6][16][17] The leaves are maple-like and deeply 3-lobed, with each lobe usually again divided into several pointed lobes, so that the leaf may almost appear palmate. The leaves are glossy and glabrous above, bright green and hairy below, especially on the veins. They are rather stiff and slightly wider (9–10 centimetres (3.5–3.9in) than long (5–8 centimetres (2.0–3.1in), turning from orange to red to deep purple in fall.[6][18]
The tree blooms relatively late — usually between May and June in the European part of its range — bearing large flowers with white petals and up to 4 centimetres (1.6in) in diameter, with flowers appearing in loose umbels of up to 10.[19] The apple fruits ripen in fall between October and November. They are roundish and large, being around 2.5 centimetres (0.98in) in diameter and weighing around 12 grams (0.42oz). Yellow in colour, they are edible and reportedly have a good taste.[6][17] The pulp has grit cells, which is otherwise atypical of apples, but common in pears.[2] The seeds are dark and around 7 centimetres (2.8in) in diameter.[17] The bark of the tree is dark grey, deeply fissured and scaly with age,[16] and it develops a deep root system.[20]
M. trilobata is distributed in mountainous terrain in the eastern Mediterranean, however, its range is remarkably disjunct, consisting of several disconnected populations. A general, albeit outdated[19] distribution map of the species can be found in Browicz (1976). In the European part of its range it has been recorded down to 50 metres (160ft) altitude, but it has also been observed at 1,600 metres (5,200ft) and 1,800 metres (5,900ft) on Şaphane Mountain and Mount Lebanon, respectively.[17]M. trilobata is not endemic to Lebanon, despite claims to the contrary.[21][22]
Malus trilobata occurs at some frequency in the Lebanon cedar forests of Mount Lebanon
Apparently the largest population persists in the Levant, especially in the Lebanon Mountains of Lebanon, which is also the type locality of the species.[2] For example, a large population occurs in Horsh Ehden nature reserve.[23] Nevertheless, the species is rare also in Lebanon: a comprehensive survey in 2018 identified a total of 55 localities, the lowest count among the 27 tree species surveyed, with the next lowest count being 92 for silver almond (Prunus argentea). In contrast, Aleppo oak (Quercus infectoria) and kermes oak (Q. coccifera), the two most frequently recorded species, where found at 2092 and 1914 locations, respectively.[24] In Upper Galilee, M. trilobata is a component of mesophytic plant communities dominated by kermes oak, together with Syrian maple (Acer obtusifolium), buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus, R. punctata), hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna, C. azarolus), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), ivy (Hedera helix), butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus) and wild peony (Paeonia mascula).[25]
Throughout its range, M. trilobata is distributed mainly on rocky slopes and neutral and acidic soils.[17] In the Mediterranean, the species is largely restricted to seaside slopes close to the sea, and ecological niche modelling conducted in Lebanon indicates that it requires cooler temperatures, ample rainfall (1,000 millimetres (39in)) and more than 20% cloud cover, suggesting that it is a Mediterranean mountain or temperate relict species. Of the local tree species, it is thus most similar to Cilician fir (Abies cilicica), Balkan maple (Acerhyrcanum subsp. tauricola), Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani), flowering ash (Fraxinus ornus), Syrian juniper (Juniperus drupacea), Turkey oak (Quercus cerris), sessile oak (Quercuspetraea subsp. pinnatifolia), Quercus kotschyana, and chequer tree (Torminalis glaberrima), and is no Mediterranean species in the strict sense.[24]M. trilobata is insect-pollinated, and, like other Malus, is thought to be pollinated primarily by bees.[26]M. trilobata bears large fruit that drop to the ground when ripe, and is most likely primarily consumed by mammals, including horses and deer, which is also reflected in autochthonous names, such as deer apple and horse apple.[17][2]M. trilobata is a host plant for Ropalopus ledereri, a species of longhorn beetle from the eastern Mediterranean that feeds on the thin terminal branches of Malus species, Crataegus species and kermes oak.[27][28]
In cultivation, M. trilobata is noted for its robustness, including its frost and drought tolerance, and its insensitivity towards infections.[16] It tolerates freezing temperatures, being hardy down to USDA hardiness zone 5-9.[16] For these reasons and its attractive habit, it finds increasing use in urban planning and landscaping, having demonstrated its value in a variety of settings and climates.[16] In Greece, it is locally known as Bragania and was traditionally protected from logging for its edible fruits.[19] Other local names in the Levant include Machlis, Makhlis and Mahrîs.[2] Seeds of the species require about 3 months cold stratification, after which they can be sown in pots, which should be large to encourage good growth.[31][20] The size of seedlings grown in pots may additionally be enhanced through the application of nitrogen fertilizer.[32]
Status and conservation
M. trilobata is a rare species, occurring as isolated trees or groups of trees virtually in its entire range. Most recently (2017), it was classified as near threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, but with an unknown population trend. This assessment was justified on the grounds that the known subpopulations are small, isolated, and fragmented, with an estimated area of occupancy (AOO) of 2,550 square kilometres (980sqmi), approaching the threshold for vulnerable (VU). Known threats include land use changes, cutting, overgrazing, fires, urban expansion and agriculture. Additionally, the species appears to suffer from poor recruitment and a limited ability to colonise new habitats.[33] Local, anecdotal evidence similarly suggests that the species is declining.[19] The genetic structure of the European population in Evros has been scrutinised, revealing relatively low genetic diversity and population fragmentation due to roads, firebreaks and geographical isolation.[26] The species is represented in several ex situ conservation and germplasm collections,[34][33] and is being planted as part of restoration efforts in Lebanon.[35]
"Les Principaux Arbres du Liban"; La Fascicule des Essences Forestieres du Liban. Projet d'assistance a la protection de la couverture vegetale au Liban (Ministry of Agriculture and European Union); 1999.
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