Among the many fruit crops, the apple tree stands out for its great popularity and affordability of fruits. And since many of its varieties tolerate long-term storage, they rejoice with their fresh and aromatic fruits almost all year round. What will be the apple tree and its fruits will be discussed below.
What is an apple?
An apple (lat. Pomum) is a closed multi-seeded fruit that is brought by plants of the subfamily of the Rosaceae family. Typically, apples are called fruits of the domestic apple tree (Malus Domestica), descended from its forest species (Malus Sylvestris). The same type of fruit has, for example, pear, quince, mountain ash. And the honeysuckle apple, that is, enclosed in a solid lignified shell, is found in hawthorn, cotoneaster and other plants.
Important! In its structure, an apple resembles a berry. It is formed from the lower ovary, which arises due to the presence of hypanthium - an expanded receptacle that has grown together with the perianth and the base of the androecium.
Description and characteristics of apple trees
The apple tree is a perennial plant of the subfamily of the pink-apple family. In total, there are more than 10 thousand of its varieties in the world, which were obtained by natural or artificial selection. The fruits of the plant are spherical, sweet and sour or sweet. This culture came from temperate climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere.
In addition to industrial purposes, many of its varieties are grown as ornamental plantings in parks, gardens, forests and squares. All types of culture are wonderful honey plants. The wood of the trees is of excellent density, it is easy to cut and polish, and has gained wide popularity in various carpentry and small crafts.
Did you know? One of the symbols of the city of Kursk is an apple of the Antonovka variety. In honor of him, a two-meter hollow copper monument weighing 150 kg was installed in the city center more than 10 years ago.
What does an apple look like?
The fruits of plants, depending on the variety, vary in size, taste and color. They are characterized by a round, spherical, cylindrical or ovoid shape. And their color can have almost all variations of red, yellow, orange and green, as well as their combinations. Under the skin of different density there is a pulp, inside of which there are special chambers with small dark seeds.
Fruits are consumed both fresh and in the form of dried fruits or preservation. They make juices, compotes, preserves, jams and jams, and are also used as a filling for pies and other pastries. Usually the plant's fruits are juicy, their taste varies from sweet and sour to sweet, and the smell is characteristic, fresh. By ripening time, the trees are divided into summer, autumn and winter varieties. The later the variety, the better the keeping quality of its fruits. The size of fruits of different varieties is usually in the range of 70-350 g, and the maximum diameter is 15 cm.
What are the leaves of an apple tree?
According to the description of the culture, the leaves of the tree are simple, alternate, petiolate, grow to 3–10 cm. They have a round or elliptical shape with serrated edges. Ripe leaves are “bare”, and young leaves are well pubescent from below. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green, glossy, the lower is gray-green, matte. Stipules of the plant are falling or remaining.
The structure of the apple tree
Two parts of the tree - aboveground and underground - connects the site, which is called the root neck. The ground part of the plant is a trunk, branches of different ages, and shoots. The trunk section between the first branch and the beginning of this year’s growth is called a conductor. A stamp is a segment of the trunk from the basal neck to the point of attachment of the first branch. The crown of the plant has a height of 2.5-15 m and is formed from branches and shoots growing above the stem. Its basis is made up of massive skeletal branches.
Did you know? Experts recommend eating apples that quickly darken on the cut and have traces of the worm. Such fruits are saturated with useful vitamins and minerals and do not contain harmful substances.
Shoots of a tree is an increase of this year. Under favorable conditions, young plants can form an increase of up to 30–40 cm. Shoots that have completed growth are called branches. Actively growing vertical branches and shoots that began to develop from sleeping buds are commonly called spinning tops.
The structure of the fruit tree: 1 - vertical root; 2 - horizontal root; 3 - root neck; 4 - shtamb; 5 - the central conductor (leader); 6 - the top of the leader; 7 - skeletal branch; 8 - fouling branch The main crop of the plant appears on fruit or fouling branches that grow on skeletal or semi-skeletal branches. On the tree, two types of buds are formed - simple and mixed. The first form forms leaves or shoots with leaves and buds, and the second - branches, leaves, shoots. Most of the buds "wake up" in the spring, and the rest are considered sleeping.
Type of root system in an apple tree
The rhizome of the tree consists of skeletal and fouling roots. The first have a thickness of 0.3-12 cm and grow from 0.5 m to several meters. However, the main part of the root consists of fouling roots. They are less developed and form on skeletal roots. The culture is characterized by a powerful rhizome. The roots of the tree can be buried in the ground more than 60 cm and occupy an area twice the size of the crown. Under favorable conditions and good soil, the horizontal roots of an adult tree can reach 11 m, and vertical - 5 m or more.
The root system of the fruit tree: 1 - vertical skeletal roots; 2 - horizontal skeletal branches; 3 - fouling roots; 4 - root neck; 5 - the standard information available indicates that the rhizome is more sensitive to cold than its surface part of the tree. And if, depending on the variety, the trunk and crown can withstand temperatures up to -40 ° C, then the surface roots begin to freeze already at -12 ... -18 ° C. Therefore, especially in winters with little snow, the near-stem circle should be mulched with a layer (5-6 cm) of peat, manure or humus.
How many stamens does an apple tree flower have?
The tree blooms in small white, pinkish or almost raspberry flowers, combined into inflorescences-shields or "semi-umbrellas." Flowers are bisexual, that is, they have both a stamen and a pistil inside the petals (corolla). The number of stamens is inconsistent, numerous, more than 10 pcs. On the stamens there are anthers where pollen matures.
What is the perianth of an apple tree flower?
The characteristic of the perianth is the leaf-like organ of the flower of a higher plant, consisting of petals and sepals. It contributes to the pollination of flowers, and also protects the pestle and stamens. The culture has a double perianth, that is, formed from leaves of two types - the inner ones form the corolla (petals), and the outer ones form the cup.
Important! The only pistil of the apple tree flower consists of 5 columns fused at the base. In its lower part is the ovary, where seeds form after flowering.
What is the cup of an apple tree flower and how many petals does it have?
A cup of apple flower consists of 5 pale green sepals, which are fused at the base. Some plants, for example, cloves, differ in sepals, fused with the lower parts in the form of a tube. And others, for example, geraniums, have non-growing sepals. An apple-tree nimbus has five white or pale pink petals.
For example, all the corollas of flowers are divided into free-lobed and lobally-lobed. The apple tree belongs to the first option. And the petals of some plants - primrose, fragrant tobacco, black nightshade fuse at the base into a tube and belong to the second species.
What group of plants does the apple tree belong to?
Apple tree is a fruit, seed crop, which is ranked as the highest covered with seed plants. Thus, an apple is a closed multi-seeded fruit that is given by plants of the subfamily of the Rosaceae. About its excellent consumer properties says that about 80% of all fruit plantings in the world are occupied by various varieties of apple trees.
