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An apple is the pome produced by a plant of Malus, a taxonomic genus in Rosaceae. The name also commonly refers to the cultivated tree. An apple's seed-bearing core develops from fused carpels, while surrounding floral tissues contribute to its fleshy edible structure. This is an accessory fruit, so identifying the entire flesh with the ovary alone misses part of its development.^{[ref] [ref]}

A crosswise cut exposes the seed chambers and the firmer tissue around them. A lengthwise cut connects that core with the stalk at one end and persistent floral parts at the other. Comparing an apple with a peach is instructive: the peach has a single conspicuous stone surrounding its seed, whereas an apple has several chambers formed by fused carpels.

The taxonomic genus includes trees cultivated for edible fruits and ornamental crabapples. A cultivar is a selected cultivated form, rather than an automatic synonym for a separate species. Differences in fruit size, color and texture can therefore occur within the cultivated material to which the everyday word apple refers.^[ref]

Malus is the taxonomic genus of apples and crabapples in Rosaceae. Its members are deciduous shrubs or trees. Their flowers have numerous stamens and several fused carpels; the mature fruit is a pome, with fleshy tissue surrounding the seed-bearing core. The genus name covers related wild and cultivated plants, whereas an individual cultivar identifies a selected cultivated form.^[ref]

A useful identification exercise follows one flower into one fruit. A transverse cut through a familiar apple exposes the chambers of the core; a longitudinal cut connects them to the stalk and persistent floral parts. The firm chamber walls and the surrounding flesh are distinguishable tissues. Comparing them with the single hard stone of a peach connects differences in mature fruit to differences in carpel arrangement.

Small ornamental crabapples and large eating apples can both belong to Malus. Size or culinary use alone therefore does not define this taxonomic genus. Floral and fruit structure provide a biological comparison across plants selected for very different purposes.^[ref]