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Prairifire Flowering Crabapple—Malus 'Prairifire'

Prairifire Flowering Crabapple

Malus 'Prairifire'

  • Bright red flowers
  • Hardy tree capable of growing in a wide range of conditions
  • Showy fall foliage
  • Red-maroon young leaves mature to dark green
  • Bird and wildlife friendly fruit
  • Zones 3 to 8
  • Short ornamental tree 15' to 20' by 15' wide
  • Can't ship to: AK, AZ, CA, HI, WA
Guaranteed Healthy Delivery
Item # 3017 | Shipping Height: 2' - 3'
*Mem. Price:$6.98
Reg. Price:$10.50
Quantity:

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Zones 3 - 8
Zones 3 - 8

Hardiness Zones: Zones 3 - 8
The Prairifire Flowering Crab can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

flowering tree
flowering tree

Type of tree:
The Prairifire Flowering Crab falls into the following type(s): Flowering Trees

20' High
20' High

Mature Height:
The Prairifire Flowering Crab grows to be 20' feet in height.

15' Spread
15' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Prairifire Flowering Crab has a spread of about 15' at full maturity.

Medium Growth
Medium Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a medium growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun
Full Sun

Sun:
This crab does well in full sun.

Various Soils
Various Soils

Soil:
The Prairifire Flowering Crab grows in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, sandy, well drained, wet, wide range, clay soils.

Oval Shape
Oval Shape

Shape:
This crab has oval, rounded shape.

More Info
More Info

Attributes:
This is an excellent landscape tree that can be planted near utility lines and adjacent to paved surfaces. It is hardy and able to tolerate a wide variety of soil and water conditions. It has showy spring flowers and fall foliage.

Wildlife Value:
The fruits of the Prairifire Crabapple are important food for many birds & mammals.

History/Lore/Use:
The tree was introduced by Dr. Daniel Dayton, University of Illinois, in 1982 as a disease-resistant cultivar.

Moisture:
Some drought resistance.

Leaves:
The leaves of this tree alternate, and are simple, oval, 1 to 4 inches long. Orange-gold in the fall.

Flower Color:
Pink-red flowers.

Bloom Time:
April to May.

Fruit Description:
This tree produces shiny 3/8" red-purple edible fruit which attracts wildlife.

The Prairifire Flowering Crabapple is an attractive tree year round. Blooming in the spring, the tree has bright red flowers followed by decorative red-purple fruit. The handsome red-brown bark stands out in the winter and accents the spring flowers and fall foliage. A showy landscape choice all around, but also makes a great tree for birds and animal lovers.

Arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map
Spring Shipping Fall Shipping
Color Zone Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline 		Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline
  2 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  3 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  4 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  5 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  6 03/19–05/12 05/07 11/01–12/03 11/19
  7 03/11–05/07 04/30 11/05–12/10 11/26
  8 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  9 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  10 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, CA, HI, WA , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

  Standard Dwarf
  Mature
Height		 Space
Needed		 Mature
Height		 Space
Needed
Apple 20' - 25' 35' x 35'

10' **

 10' x 10' ++
Peach 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry 30' 20' x 25' 12' - 15' 10' x 10'
Sour Cherry 20' 20' x 20' 8' 10' x 10'
Pear 20' 20' x 20' 12' - 15' 12' x 12'
Apricot 20' 20' x 20'    
Plum 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
      ** semi-dwarf 12' - 15'
++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

  • They are very affordable.
  • Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
  • They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.


If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.