Botanically, there is little to no difference between apples and crabapples.
Conventionally, any species with fruits smaller than two inches in diameter is considered a crabapple, while those with larger fruits are considered a species of apple.
Crabapples are popular trees closely related to apples, but they have smaller edible fruit that is more tart than the standard apple.
The fruit is not an important crop in most areas because it is very sour and (in some species) very like wood and rarely eaten raw. However, crabapples are an excellent source of pectin, and their juice can be made into a ruby-colored jelly. Some kinds of crab apples make good applesauce.
Crabapples are widely grown as trees for the pleasure of their appearance and their beautiful flowers or fruit.
They are also used as trees to pollinate apple trees in orchards. Various crab apples are selected to bloom simultaneously with those in the orchard.
There are more than 35 species and 700 varieties of crabapple trees.
The flowers provide an important source of early pollen and nectar for insects, particularly bees, and birds, including blackbirds, thrushes, and crows eat the fruit.
Crab apple trees are associated with love and marriage. It was said that if you throw the pips into the fire while saying the name of your love, the love is true if the pips explode.
The Celts burned applewood during fertility rites and festivals.