Fun Facts

1. Apples grow on trees. The scientific term for apple tree is Malus domestica, and it belongs to the rose family.

2. Related to the apple are the strawberry (Fraaria L.), the plum (Prunus L.), the pear (Pyrus L.), and the blackberry (Rubus L.)

3. Scientists believe that apples were first domesticated in the Tian Shan region of southern Kazakhstan in central Asia as early as 2000 BC.

4. According to the latest available data, the total world production of apples in 2023 was estimated at approximately 97 million metric tonnes. China remained the largest producer of apples in 2023, accounting for around 51% of the global production.

5. Did you know that Johnny Appleseed was a real person?! His real name was John Chapman, born in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1774. He was a smart businessman who saw the potential for profit in the apple industry, helping to establish apple orchards in several states.

6. Almost all commercially produced apple trees are NOT grown from seeds. They are grafted instead of seed grown. If you eat an apple but save the seeds to replant them, the result will not be anything like the apple you ate. That's the reason apple trees are grafted!

7. The world's largest apple, known as the Hokuto apple, was recognized by Guinness World
    Records in 2003 as the heaviest apple ever recorded, weighing in at a whopping 1.849 kg (4 lb 1 oz) !