Purple Prince Crabapple
Full bloomMalus 'Purple Prince'
Rosaceae · broadleaf deciduous tree · introduced
Last updated
Quick Facts
Bloom Infection Window
Spring Emergence / Primary Infection
Pupation
Phenological Calendar
As of May 13, 2026, Puget Sound stations range from 1906.2 to 2098.2 GDD₃₂. Purple Prince Crabapple has passed full bloom (1305 GDD₃₂).
Regional Season Tracker
GDD₃₂ accumulation across 7 Puget Sound stations · as of May 13, 2026| Station | GDD₃₂ | Current Stage | Next | To Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issaquah / East King | 2,098 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Kent / Auburn | 2,089 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Seattle / UW | 2,063 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Olympia / Tumwater | 2,025 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Tacoma / Puyallup | 1,993 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Bellingham / Whatcom | 1,972 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Sequim / Rain Shadow | 1,906 | Full bloom | — | — |
| Stage | GDD32 | Typical Window |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of flowering BBCH 61 | 990 | Late April (Puget Sound) |
| ● Full bloom BBCH 65 NOW | 1305 | Late April to early May (Puget Sound) |
Source: HortGuide regional interpretation based on Morton Arboretum bloom timing About GDD₃₂ →
Season tracker for Kent / Auburn as of May 13, 2026. Predicted dates use 16-day weather forecast through May 29, 2026, then climate normals.
Diseases: Regionally Documented (3)
Diseases: Other Associations (1)
Pests: Regionally Documented (3)
Purple Prince is the modern standard recommendation for purple-foliaged crabapple use in Puget Sound landscapes when a designer wants saturated purple-bronze foliage combined with rose-red flowers in a typical 20 × 20 ft rounded form. J. Frank Schmidt calls it "probably the best purple foliaged crab for growers," and the cultivar's advantages over the older 'Liset' (no stem splitting, faster growth) make it the more reliable choice for current installations. Excellent scab and rust resistance and good fire blight and mildew resistance per JFS support reliable performance in maritime PNW disease conditions. For Puget Sound clients wanting purple foliage with rose-red flowers in a traditional rounded crabapple silhouette, Purple Prince is the default pick. The alternative path is Royal Raindrops® (JFS-KW5) which offers cutleaf finer-textured purple foliage with magenta-pink flowers in a similar size range — choose between them based on whether typical crabapple foliage texture (Purple Prince) or the distinctive cutleaf texture (Royal Raindrops) better fits the design composition. 'Perfect Purple' is the third purple option, slightly less disease- resistant per JFS but very cold-hardy.
— Chris Welch, ISA Certified Arborist