The apple (Malus domestica) is part of the family of the roses (Rosaceae), and a hybrid derived between Malus sylvestris and Malus pumila. The parents are widespread in the mountains of central Asia.
Due to the nomadic agriculture, apples came first to Greece, then to Italy and whole Europe. Romans did not only invent Pomana, goddess of apples, but invented also the grafting which is the basis for a serious apple culture. Romans then spread cultivation of the domesticated apple through Europe.