Tree Categories: Flowering Trees, Ornamental Trees, and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: Less than 20 feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 10-20 feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, and Zone 8
The Prairiefire Crabapple sproutfree™ (Malus ‘Prairiefire’ sproutfree™) is a small-sized flowering ornamental tree. It has a dense, upright, broad-rounded canopy. This tree has a spectacular bloom in mid to late spring starting out as pinkish-red buds then opening up to dark pink-red flowers that are slightly flagrant. They emerge in clusters along the branches and are quite long-lasting. The bloom is followed by small ½ inch fruits that stay on the tree for a while. The foliage appears in the spring as a shimmering maroon and then matures to a dark green with purple veins before turning bronze in the fall.
The Prairiefire Crabapple sproutfree™ was introduced in 1982 by Dr. Daniel Dayton of University of Illinois. He developed it to be a disease-resistant cultivar. It is a great choice as a tree in a park or garden in an urban setting for this reason. It does, however, also do well in pretty much any yard that needs a bright spot in the spring and fall. It is a beautiful ornamental tree that can also provide adequate shade and rarely disappoints. It prefers full sun and is easy to grow in well-drained soils. It is drought resistant once established.
