Abstract: Crabapple is the famous woody ornamental plant groups with wide varieties and colorful flowers. Through reviewing the related literature on the research of genus Malus and the genus Chaenomeles in recent years, we briefly describes the wild resources and its geographical distribution, reviews the brief history of the crabapple’s classification, summarizes the application of molecular marker technology in the study of the genetic diversity of crabapple and the research status of breeding, and evaluates its landscape effect in green space application. Finally, according to the problems existing in classification, breeding and application of crabapple, we put forward some suggestions on establishing standard classification system, innovating breeding model and exploring specific germplasms, aiming to provide reference for the research and development of crabapple ornamental germplasm resources in the future.