Hewe’s Virginia Crab Apple Scionwood

This is a twig for grafting. Fall. Vintage sharp cider apple. Probably a seedling of the native Malus angustifolia, the Southern Crab. Introduced about 1700 in Virginia.

One of the most prized of all American cider apples. One of the rare varieties recommended for single varietal cider. In his 1817 A View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees, William Coxe devoted an entire chapter to making cider with Hewe’s. The red-skinned white-spotted fruit is small, round, juicy, tough, astringent and acidic. According to AJ Downing in 1848, Hewe’s “makes a very high-flavored dry cider, which, by connoisseurs, is thought unsurpassed in flavor by any other, and retains its soundness a long time.”

Incredibly vigorous, productive and healthy in our trials. The trees look great. Evidently it loves cold weather. Quite hardy despite its name. Long ago used as a rootstock even as far north as Maine. Blooms midseason. Z4.

7855 Hewe’s Virginia Crab

Item	Discounted From	Quantity
L 7855 A: 8" scionwood stick, 1 for $6.00
L 7855 B: scionwood by the foot (10' minimum), 1 ft for $5.50

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Additional Information

Scionwood

Scions are twigs, not trees. They have no roots and will not grow if you plant them.

The deadline for ordering scionwood is February 21, 2025, for shipment around March 11. (Please note: we ship scionwood only in mid-March. If you would like to order rootstock to arrive in the same shipment, select mid-March shipping when adding the rootstock to your cart.)

We sell scionwood in two ways:

By the stick: One 8" stick will graft 3 or 4 trees.
By the foot: For orchardists grafting large numbers of trees of a particular variety, we also offer scionwood by the foot (minimum order of 10 feet per variety). In our own nursery work, we are usually able to graft 6-8 trees from one foot of scionwood.

You can graft right away or store scionwood for later use. It will keep quite well for several weeks stored in sealed ziplock bags in the refrigerator.

For more info:
About Scionwood