Crab Apple
Malus spp.

Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
AKA: Crabapples, Wild Apples
Photo taken on: September 19, 2021
Location: Almont, CO
Life Zones: Plains and foothills
Habitat: Open woods, abandoned plantings

There are native Crab apple trees in the USA, mostly in the east and south, but there are many more cultivars, some of which can survive at 8,000 feet. Crab apples are defined as apples with fruit smaller than two inches in diameter. Their flowers can be white, pink, rose or red. Their foliage may vary from green to bronze to purple turning red, orange or yellow in the fall. The fruits may persist through the winter. The growth patterns vary as well, most grow about 20 feet tall and quite wide. I do not think this is a Wild Apple tree; it is an old tree growing near an old cabin at 8,000 feet. I think it is Malus 'David' or Malus 'Dolgo'. I have not seen it in bloom.

Flora of North America reference.

Photo credit for flowers of Malus 'David'.