Apple Tree Museau de Lièvre - Malus domestica

The Apple 'Museau de Lièvre' is an excellent old variety, said to originate from Alos, in Ariège. Productive, it is highly appreciated for the original and characteristic shape of its elongated, conical fruits, which indeed resemble a hare's muzzle. Hardy, the Apple Museau de Lièvre can easily withstand temperatures as low as -20 °C (- 4°F) and usually blooms from April to May. This apple tree is not self-fertile, so to bear abundant fruit, it should be planted near varieties that flower at the same time, such as 'Reine de Reinettes', 'Reinette de Caux', or 'Golden Delicious'.

The apple tree (Malus domestica) is a fruit tree that belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is cultivated almost everywhere in the world and includes countless old and modern varieties that produce apples of varying sizes and degrees of sweetness or acidity. Apple trees are native to Europe, where their presence has been documented since ancient times. They are hardy, sometimes even down to -30 °C (- 22°F) for the most resistant varieties, and can be grown anywhere.

The apple tree bears white or pinkish-white flowers in spring, grouped in corymbs. The flowers of the apple tree have five petals and surround a core composed of around 20 stamens. They give rise to fleshy, spherical fruits (technically drupes) and filled with seeds. Their colour, size, flavour, and storage duration vary depending on the variety. These fruits are harvested in September. They are covered with a yellow skin tinged with salmon. Their delicious quality flesh is white, tender, delicate, and juicy. It has a sweet flavour, slightly tangy, with a pleasant hint of melon. It is an ideal table apple to bite into and can also be used to make apple juice. These apples can be stored until December.

The apple tree leaves are deciduous and arranged alternately on the branches. Their lamina is ovate and dentate. They have a dark green upper surface and a whitish lower surface, slightly velvety.

The apple tree can be grown in all climates but particularly appreciates temperate regions, preferably humid ones. It thrives in full sun in reasonably moist and rich soil. It is traditionally planted in the heart of an orchard but can also be grown as a standalone tree or hedge.

Domestic apple trees should be no larger than ten metres high and almost as wide. The size may even be much shorter, depending on the rootstock's vigour. This fruit tree generally presents as a tall trunk that naturally spreads out. It can take on various forms (goblet, half-standard, standard...) and be trained in numerous ways (column, cordon, espalier...). It is an easy fruit tree that requires at least some thinning pruning. Proper fruiting pruning will prevent alternate bearing (fruiting every other year). An annual or biennial application of well-decomposed compost also enhances apple tree productivity.