Cork's Apple
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Maloideae Genus: Malus Species: M. germicana
Binomial name
Malus germicana

The Cork's apple is a fruit borne by the tree Malus germicana of the rose family Rosaceae. It varies little in size, between 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in diameter. The skin is green and speckled even when ripe. Color can vary from a deep emerald green to a bright grass green. The flesh of the fruit is generally a subdued version of its skin color. The Cork's apple's suitability as a food for humans is not well known. This article explains how to read a taxobox. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Families Barbeyaceae Cannabaceae (hemp family) Dirachmaceae Elaeagnaceae Moraceae (mulberry family) Rosaceae (rose family) Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family) Ulmaceae (elm family) Urticaceae (nettle family) For the Philippine municipality, see Rosales, Pangasinan. ... Subfamilies Rosoideae Spiraeoideae Maloideae Amygdaloideae or Prunoideae The Rosaceae or rose family is a large family of plants, with about 3,000-4,000 species in 100-120 genera. ... Genera Amelanchier - serviceberry, juneberry Aronia - chokeberry Chaenomeles - Japanese quince Cotoneaster - cotoneaster Crataegus - hawthorn Cydonia - quince Eriobotrya - loquat Eriolobus (Malus pro parte) Heteromeles - Toyon Malus - apple, crabapple Mespilus - medlar Osteomeles Photinia Pyracantha - firethorn Pyrus - pear Rhaphiolepis - Indian hawthorn Sorbus - rowan, whitebeam, service tree Stranvaesia - (Photinia pro parte) The Maloideae, or the... Species Malus angustifolia - Southern Crab Malus baccata - Siberian Crabapple Malus bracteata Malus brevipes Malus coronaria - Sweet Crabapple Malus domestica - Apple Malus florentina Malus floribunda - Japanese Crabapple Malus formosana Malus fusca - Oregon Crab, Pacific Crab Malus glabrata Malus glaucescens Malus halliana Malus honanensis Malus hupehensis - Chinese Crabapple Malus ioensis - Prairie Crab... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Subfamilies Rosoideae Spiraeoideae Maloideae Amygdaloideae or Prunoideae The Rosaceae or rose family is a large family of plants, with about 3,000-4,000 species in 100-120 genera. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Discovery and Name

The fruit was discovered on a July 1998 trip to the Galápagos Islands by Stephen Cork, a scientist from the Charles Darwin Research Station on a research expedition. Incidentally, Cork and his colleagues were being filmed for the IMAX movie Galápagos on this expedition. After reporting the discovery, Cork was given permission to name the fruit, which was classified as a pome, a subfamily of fruits including the apple. Thus, he named the fruit Cork's apple. Orthographic projection centred over the Galápagos Map of the Galápagos archipelago showing the names of the islands. ... The Charles Darwin Research Station is a biological research station operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation, and located in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, with satellite offices on Isabela and San Cristóbal islands. ... IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia. ... An apple is an example of a pome fruit. ...

Location

The fruit is relatively rare and grows most proficiently on the Galápagos Islands. Because of its geographical isolation, the Cork's apple is closely related to few fruits. Its closest relative is the apple (Malus domestica). The Cork's apple tree is moderately sized and deciduous, with a broad, leafy crown and alternating leaves. Orthographic projection centred over the Galápagos Map of the Galápagos archipelago showing the names of the islands. ... Binomial name Malus domestica Borkh. ... Deciduous means temporary or tending to fall off (deriving from the Latin word decidere, to fall off). ...

Pollination

Cork's apples require cross-pollination to produce new fruit. Pollination of these fruits is done both entomophily by primarily the Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa darwini) and zoophily by the Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) and the Cactus Ground Finch (Geospiza scandens). Cork's apples develop during the hot season (Dec-May) where there are often heavy rain showers. During very rainy seasons (believed to be caused by El Niño), there is a sharp decline in the number of Cork's apple trees that reach the budding state. This is because of challenges Carpenter Bees face when exposed to abundant amounts of rain. The amount of trees has stayed relatively stable through the past 8 years despite climate change. Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects, particularly bees, moths, and beetles. ... Genera Many Carpenter bees (Xylocopinae subfamily) are important pollinators, especially of open-faced flowers, though the larger species are also known to rob nectar by boring holes in the sides of flowers with deep corollas (thus not accomplishing pollination). ... Zoophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by animals, particularly by hummingbirds and bats, but also passively by bears, rabbits, deer, and other furred animals. ... Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [°C] during the last strong El Niño in December 1997 El Niño and La Niña (also written in English as El Nino and La Nina) are major temperature fluctuations in surface waters of the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean. ...

Other Image(s)

The inside of a Cork's apple when cut in half