Previously it was thought that the modern apple (Malus domestica) evolved due to the hybridization of various wild apple species. It is now more accepted that Malus domestica is a more direct descendent of Malus sieversii, the largest of the wild apples of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. (Pure stands of sieversii are said to be found in the Ili River Valley in the western part of the Tianshan Mts and the hills of W Junggar.) The apples in the photo as you can see are of varying sizes, all were photographed at Geneva from the germplasm repository there and were brought to this country by Phil Forsline.