=The fleshy pome or fruit of a rosaceous tree (_Pyrus malus_), the
origin of which is probably the wild crab-apple of Europe, cultivated in
innumerable varieties in the temperate zones.=
=It is scarcely known in the wild state, but as an escape from
cultivation its fruit becomes small, acid, and harsh, and is known as
the crab; the cultivated crab-apple is the fruit of other species of
_Pyrus_. Of the cultivated crabs there are the Siberian (_Pyrus
prunifolia_), the Chinese (_Pyrus spectabillis_), and the Cherry-crab
(_Pyrus baccata_), all natives of northern Asia.=
=The apple was first introduced into America from England, in 1629, by
the governor of Massachusetts Bay.=