Pacific Crabapple Seeds

Pacific Crabapple Seeds - Malus fusca - Oregon Crabapple, qwa’upulhp

Malus fusca
Oregon Crabapple, qwa’upulhp

Hardy to Zone 5
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Germination Tested Float test

Approximately 15-20 seeds per packet

$6.95 CAD

Sale Sold out

Size Packet (15-20 seeds) 1 gram (130+ seeds) 2 grams (260+ seeds) 4 grams (520+ seeds)

Product variants

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Pacific Crabapple is a wild species of apple native to the pacific northwest. It makes small but abundant tart fruits that can be canned whole, or made into jelly or cider. It has showy pink/white flowers in the spring that pollinators love, and has ornamental value in the bronze fruit clusters in late summer and colourful foliage in fall. The bark becomes rough and ridged with age.

Because this species is both drought and wet tolerant, it's becoming a popular rootstock for challenging sites. It will even grow in standing water! It's also disease-resistant.

Birds love the fruit, and because the trees often have pointy spines, they make a safe roosting spot for birds at night.

This is an important tree for Indigenous peoples on the west coast. One way people stored them for winter is to store the unripe green apples in bentwood cedar boxes filled with water in a cool place. Over time the fruits soften and develop and aroma like cotton candy. They are still widely used today.

I believe the trees I harvested from were planted and stewarded by the Indigenous groups of the area (K'ómoks, Kwalikum, and/or Snaw-naw-as peoples). The beautiful old trees grow along a river, and in one stretch they are in a perfectly straight line. There are many other Indigenous food plants in the area, such as silverweed, rose, and black hawthorn, which seems to me like an intentional food forest.

50% of sales from this variety go to Sovereign Seeds, an Indigenous-led initiative dedicated to the revitalization of Indigenous seed and food sovereignty in so-called Canada.

Growing Instructions

Soak seeds for 24 hours, then sow 1/4 inch deep in moist potting soil. Seeds require 30 to 90 days of cold stratification, which can be done in the fridge, or naturally outdoors if planted in fall. After stratification, keep at 15-20 degrees C to sprout, or allow for natural spring temperatures.
Grow on in pots or a nursery bed until large enough to be planted out.

Shipping & Returns

By placing an order, customers agree to the shipping & refund policies detailed on this page.

Most orders are sent via Canada Post to keep costs low.

Shipping within Canada

We ship seeds in Canada via Canada Post's regular letter mail, which is an untracked service, and usually takes 1-4 weeks to arrive once we fulfill your order, but occasionally letter mail takes up to 6 weeks, especially to the Eastern provinces and rural areas.

Customers can now opt for tracked, express shipping options at checkout if you require faster delivery and/or tracking.

Larger bulbs and plants are usually sent via tracked flat rate box.

Shipping to the US

UPDATE FEB 2, 2026: WE ARE TAKING A BREAK ON ACCEPTING US ORDERS DUE TO ISSUES WITH USPS

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Shipping Internationally

International customers can select tracked or untracked shipping at checkout. The package will list the contents as "Garden Seeds". It is your responsibility to ensure you have the required import permit. We are not able to send any live plant materials internationally. Cicada Seeds will not be responsible for any orders held or confiscated by customs, or for any additional duties or tariffs placed on your order.

International shipping countries include: Hong Kong SAR, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom. (List updated Aug 31, 2026)

This list may change without notice. Sometimes Canada Post will not allow us to ship to certain countries due to wars or natural disasters, see this page for delivery service alerts.

Refund Policy

Refunds: We stand behind our seeds, so if for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please reach out to us via email and we will do our best to make it right. Please note that shipping costs are non-refundable.

Cancelled orders: If you wish to cancel an order after purchasing, we may refund your order minus card processing and admin fees at our discretion. We do not accept returns on seeds or plants.

Refused orders: We cannot issue a refund if you refuse to accept or do not claim an order we've mailed to you, or made available for local pickup.

Incorrect addresses: Please double check your mailing address, and let us know ASAP if you've entered an incorrect address at checkout. We may need to charge for additional shipping fees to resend orders.