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checkertree, wild service tree

Swedish whitebeam

Habit Trees, to 120[–200] dm. Trees, to 70[–200] dm.
Stems

1;

bark gray;

winter buds green to brown, ovoid to ovoid-oblong, 5–10 mm, scales dark-margined, shiny, glutinous, glabrous, ciliate, or villous.

1;

bark gray;

winter buds green to red-brown, ovoid, 5–12 mm, shiny, slightly glutinous, whitish-villous.

Leaves

simple;

stipules early deciduous, whitish-villous;

blade slightly shiny, green to dark green adaxially, ovate to broadly elliptic, 5.5–10.5 × 3–8 cm, margins deeply 1–4 subpalmately lobed, lobes ± triangular, (1–)1.5–2.5 cm wide, basal sinuses deepest, margins finely serrate, secondary veins in 4–6 main pairs, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface thinly white-hairy to glabrate, adaxial glabrous.

simple;

stipules early deciduous, densely whitish-villous;

blade shiny, green to dark green adaxially, ovate to elliptic, 6–13 × 3.5–8.5 cm, margins proximally 4–7 pinnately lobed, lobes ± oblong, 1–1.5(–1.8) cm wide, basal sinuses deepest, margins distally coarsely serrate, main pairs of secondary veins 8–10, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface white-tomentose, adaxial glabrous or sparsely villous, indument usually persistent.

Panicles

15–60+-flowered, rounded, 3–17.5 cm diam.;

peduncles whitish-villous.

18–85-flowered, rounded, 6–17 cm diam.;

peduncles white-tomentose.

Pedicels

whitish-villous.

white-tomentose.

Flowers

10–17 mm diam.;

hypanthium densely villous, hypanthium plus sepals 5.5–7.5 mm;

sepals 1.5–3.5 mm, margins villous and prominently glandular, glands often relatively thick;

petals white, elliptic, broadly elliptic, or broadly ovate, 4–7 mm;

stamens 20;

carpels adnate to hypanthium, apex conic, styles 2, 3.5–4 mm.

14–16 mm diam.;

hypanthium whitish-tomentose, hypanthium plus sepals 5–6 mm;

sepals 1.5–2.5 mm, margins villous and eglandular, rarely with inconspicuous glands;

petals white, elliptic to broadly ovate, 5–7 mm;

stamens 20;

carpels distinct, apex conic, styles 2, 2.5–4 mm.

Infructescences

sparsely whitish-villous.

thinly white-tomentose to glabrate.

Pomes

brown, narrowly obovoid, 15–19 × 10–13 mm, dull, not glaucous;

lenticels abundant;

sepals inconspicuous, incurved.

bright red, ellipsoid, sometimes narrowly obovoid, 7–16 × 6–11 mm, shiny, faintly glaucous;

lenticels few;

sepals inconspicuous, erect, villous toward apex.

Seeds

brown, oblong-lanceoloid, 8.1 × 3.4 mm, slightly asymmetric, slightly flattened.

red-brown, narrowly ovoid, 6–6.5 × 2.5–3.1 mm, slightly asymmetric, slightly flattened.

2n

= 34, 68 (Europe).

= 68 (Europe).

Sorbus torminalis

Sorbus intermedia

Phenology Flowering spring; fruiting fall. Flowering spring; fruiting fall.
Habitat Disturbed conifer forests Thickets, roadsides, waste ground, disturbed conifer forests
Elevation 0–50 m (0–200 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
Europe; sw Asia; nw Africa [Introduced, Wash.]
from FNA
MA; WA; BC; ON; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In European gardens, one or more clones of intergeneric hybrids between Pyrus communis and Sorbus are called ×Sorbopyrus auricularis (Knoop) C. K. Schneider. J. Wiśniewska et al. (1969) suggested that S. torminalis may be involved in the parentage of at least one clone.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sorbus aria (Linnaeus) Crantz of Europe has been reported from San Juan County, Washington (S. Atkinson and F. Sharpe 1993; J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham 2003). Those populations are S. intermedia, with more deeply lobed leaves and broader winter buds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 436. FNA vol. 9, p. 437.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Sorbus > subg. Torminaria Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Sorbus > subg. Aria
Sibling taxa
S. americana, S. aucuparia, S. californica, S. decora, S. hybrida, S. intermedia, S. sambucifolia, S. scopulina, S. sitchensis
S. americana, S. aucuparia, S. californica, S. decora, S. hybrida, S. sambucifolia, S. scopulina, S. sitchensis, S. torminalis
Synonyms Crataegus torminalis Pyrus intermedia, Aria intermedia
Name authority (Linnaeus) Crantz: Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 2: 45. (1763) (Ehrhart) Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 38. (1806)
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