Malus communis Poiret; M. dasyphylla Borkhausen; M. dasyphylla var. domestica Koidzumi; M. domestica Borkhausen; M. domestica subsp. pumila (Miller) Likhonos; M. pumila var. domestica C. K. Schneider; M. niedzwetzkyana Dieck ex Koehne; M. sylvestris Miller subsp. mitis Mansfeld; Pyrus malus Linnaeus; P. malus var. pumila Henry.

Trees to 15 m tall. Branchlets purplish brown when old, terete, robust, short, densely tomentose when young, glabrous when old; buds purplish brown, ovoid, densely puberulous. Stipules caducous, lanceolate, 3–5 mm, herbaceous, densely puberulous, margin entire, apex acuminate; petiole robust, 1.5–3 cm, puberulous; leaf blade elliptic, ovate, or broadly elliptic, 4.5–10 × 3–5.5 cm, both surfaces densely puberulous when young, adaxially glabrescent, base broadly cuneate or rounded, margin obtusely serrate, apex acute. Corymb at apices of branchlets, 4–6 cm in diam., 3–7-flowered; bracts caducous, linear-lanceolate, membranous, tomentose, margin entire, apex acuminate. Pedicel 1–2.5 cm, tomentose. Flowers 3–4 cm in diam. Hypanthium tomentose abaxially. Sepals triangular-lanceolate or triangular-ovate, 6–8 mm, longer than hypanthium, both surfaces tomentose, margin entire, apex acuminate. Petals white, obovate, 1.5–1.8 cm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens 20, unequal, ca. 1/2 as long as petals. Ovary 5-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 5, slightly longer than stamens, gray tomentose basally. Pome red or yellow, depressed-subglobose, ca. 2 cm in diam., impressed at base; fruiting pedicel short and thickened; sepals persistent. Fl. May, fr. Jul–Oct. 2n = 24*, 34*, 51*, 68.

Commonly cultivated in N, NW, and SW China [Bhutan; Native to SW Asia and Europe].