Apple

An apple is a round, edible <a href="/facts/Fruit/PBpuzk60">fruit</a> produced by an apple tree (<a href="/facts/Malus/MKp2k7Mq">Malus</a> spp.). <a href="/facts/Fruit_tree/avWL8DgX">Fruit trees</a> of the orchard or domestic apple (Malus domestica), the most widely grown in the genus, are <a href="/facts/Agriculture/TGztqzJs">cultivated</a> worldwide. The tree originated in <a href="/facts/Central_Asia/rB8k0CyT">Central Asia</a>, where its wild ancestor, <a href="/facts/Malus_sieversii/YPuUC3mV">Malus sieversii</a>, is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in <a href="/facts/Eurasia/KlLI9GDM">Eurasia</a> before they were introduced to <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a> by <a href="/facts/European_colonization_of_the_Americas/1HImQual">European colonists</a>. Apples have cultural significance in many <a href="/facts/Mythological/kG8UTfem">mythologies</a> (including <a href="/facts/Norse_mythology/hEKfeQql">Norse</a> and <a href="/facts/Greek_mythology/M7k4FvW8">Greek</a>) and <a href="/facts/Religion/cxntrD0R">religions</a> (such as <a href="/facts/Christianity_in_Europe/E2DqzFKC">Christianity in Europe</a>).
Apples grown from seed tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently lacks desired characteristics. For commercial purposes, including botanical evaluation, apple <a href="/facts/Cultivar/nfaLJJM3">cultivars</a> are propagated by clonal <a href="/facts/Grafting/s1hfSwTR">grafting</a> onto <a href="/facts/Rootstock/pSRT5aW6">rootstocks</a>. Apple trees grown without rootstocks tend to be larger and much slower to fruit after planting. Rootstocks are used to control the speed of growth and the size of the resulting tree, allowing for easier harvesting.
There are <a href="/facts/List_of_apple_cultivars/PQ4w79Im">more than 7,500 cultivars of apples</a>. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including <a href="/facts/Cooking_apple/aQfQyWRj">cooking</a>, eating raw, and <a href="/facts/Cider/3B1PDMuL">cider</a> or <a href="/facts/Apple_cider/N2qBAB5c">apple juice</a> production. Trees and fruit are prone to <a href="/facts/Fungal/BHo5DP59">fungal</a>, bacterial, and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of <a href="/facts/Organic_farming/Rce4nxdU">organic</a> and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's <a href="/facts/Genome/31Sm08JT">genome</a> was <a href="/facts/DNA_sequencing/hsPsNCQW">sequenced</a> as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production.

Apple open-in-new

Apple