It was disappointing at first to find that the tree we'd been taken to see was too tall and crowded with neighbours to see anything but a few leaves in the canopy and one or two which had fallen on the ground. In spite of that this is possibly one of the easiest Sorbus trees to identify because the leaf is so nearly circular - about the size of a tennis ball. No other Sorbus leaf approaches this nearly symmetrical circular shape.

It is a member of the aria aggregate and so has red fruits which are longer in the equatorial diameter than the polar (Plant Crib). The leaves have about 10 veins (9 to 12), and have two teeth between each vein (biserrate) and a greenish white tomentose layer underneath which cannot be seen in this photo.

Leigh Woods, Avon Gorge 10th September 2006

Added on 26th September 2006, updated 10th February 2012, updated 16th Nov 2014