Apple, Malus domestica, is India’s most important temperate fruit, grown mainly in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, with Uttarakhand and Arunachal. Its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, still grows in the forests of Kazakhstan, where Almaty’s name is often linked to apples. Varieties such as Royal Delicious are propagated by grafting, because apples do not grow true from seed.
- Botanical name
- Malus domestica (Suckow) Borkh.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Tamil
- Apple
- Hindi
- Seb
- Parts used
- Ripe fruit
- Habit
- Apple; the pome is cuisine, not a clinic
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Apple
It is a deciduous tree with oval, toothed leaves that are often hairy beneath.
Flowers are white flushed with pink, five-petalled, in clusters in spring.
The fruit is a pome: the fleshy part grows from the flower base around a papery core holding the seeds.
Pears, Pyrus, have gritty stone cells in their flesh and a narrower shape. Quince, Cydonia, has fuzzy, hard fruit.
Traditional use of Apple
Indian hill orchards
Apple growing transformed the economy of Shimla district after the American missionary Samuel Stokes introduced Delicious varieties in the early twentieth century.
Himachal horticulture history
Kitchen
Apples are eaten fresh, cooked into chutneys and halwa, made into juice and cider, and dried.
Indian and global food practice
Modern notes on Apple
Apples provide fibre, especially pectin, and vitamin C, and most of their antioxidant compounds are in the skin.
Climate change is pushing good apple-growing zones in Himachal to higher altitudes.
Apple safety
Eat the fruit; swallowing a few seeds is harmless, but crushed seeds in quantity release cyanide. Wash apples to remove residues and wax.
Ecology and sourcing
It needs cold winters to break dormancy, so it is grown mainly between about 1,500 and 2,700 metres in India.
Most varieties need cross-pollination, so orchards plant pollinator varieties and keep bee hives.
Kashmir produces the majority of India’s apples.
Related plants
Also in Rosaceae
Questions about Apple
Where are most Indian apples grown?
In Jammu and Kashmir, followed by Himachal Pradesh.
Why are apples grafted?
Seedlings do not resemble their parents, so grafting keeps varieties true.
Are apple seeds poisonous?
Only in large, crushed amounts.
Sources
- Malus domestica (Suckow) Borkh. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q18674606 (Malus domestica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.