Trees and shrubs, with alternate, stipulate, simple, or pinnately compound leaves. Flowers conspicuous, white to pink, apple-blossom-shaped (5 petals); in spring. Fruit a fleshy pome, with the cells formed by papery or cartilaginous membranes within juicy flesh.

* Leaves deeply pinnatifid or fully pinnate (Mountain Ashes) (A.)
A. Leaf deeply pinnatifid, sometimes fully divided at the base. 6.
A. Leaf once-pinnate throughout. (B.)
B. Leaf-buds pointed, smooth and somewhat glutinous 7.
B. Leaf-buds more or less hairy 8, 9.
* Leaves simple and not pinnatifid. (C.)
C. Leaves entire; fruit solitary (Quinces) 5.
C. Leaves serrate; fruit clustered. (D.)
D. Fruit large, sunken at both ends (Apples) 1.
D. Fruit small (½-1 in.), sour, much sunken at the stem end and but little at the other (Crab-apples). (E.)
E. Leaves very narrow; fruit ½ in. 2.
E. Leaves broad; fruit 1 in. 3.
D. Fruit usually obovate, not sunken at the stem end (Pears). 4.

P. Màlus.

1. Pỳrus Màlus, L. (Common Apple-tree.) Leaves simple, ovate, evenly crenate or serrate, smooth on the upper surface and woolly on the lower. Flowers large (1 in.), white, tinged with pink, in small corymbs. May. Fruit large, sunken at both ends, especially at base; ripe from August to October, according to variety. A flat-topped tree, 20 to 40 ft. high, cultivated in hundreds of named varieties; from Europe.

P. angustifòlia.

2. Pỳrus angustifòlia, Ait. (Narrow-leaved Crab-apple.) Leaves simple, lanceolate or oblong, often acute at base, mostly serrate, smooth. Flowers large (2/3 in.), rose-colored, fragrant, in small, simple, umbel-like clusters. Fruit very sour, small (½ in.). Twigs lead-colored and speckled. A small tree, 12 to 20 ft. high. Pennsylvania and southward.

P. coronària.