This article is about the fruit. For the technology company, see Apple Inc. Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. Apple cobbler with fresh apples grown from seed tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently lacks desired characteristics.

Generally, apple cultivars are propagated by clonal grafting onto rootstocks. Apple trees grown without rootstocks tend to be larger and much slower to fruit after planting. There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw, and cider production. Worldwide production of apples in 2018 was 86 million tonnes, with China accounting for nearly half of the total. The apple is a deciduous tree, generally standing 2 to 4.

When cultivated, the size, shape and branch density are determined by rootstock selection and trimming method. Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves and are produced on spurs and some long shoots. The fruit is a pome that matures in late summer or autumn, and cultivars exist in a wide range of sizes. Commercial growers aim to produce an apple that is 7 to 8.

Some consumers, especially those in Japan, prefer a larger apple, while apples below 5. The skin of ripe apples is generally red, yellow, green, pink, or russetted, though many bi- or tri-colored cultivars may be found. The skin may also be wholly or partly russeted i. The original wild ancestor of Malus domestica was Malus sieversii, found growing wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and northwestern China.