Sorbus intermedia   Swedish Whitebeam I

Sorbus intermedia flowers Sorbus intermedia leaves Sorbus intermedia fruit

This introduced tree from the Baltic region is a much planted tree in parks and gardens. The tree itself can be up to 10m tall and is a member of the intermedia aggregate. This Sorbus group has leaves with distinct lobes. The lowest veins of the leaf end in a pronounced lobe which itself can have smaller teeth on it and the lobe cuts into the leaf up to half way along the vein to the mid rib. S. intermedia has about 8 veins (7 to 9) the lowest six of which point to these lobes. The leaf is as long as wide.

The fruit is red or scarlet in the intermedia group and in the case of S. intermedia and has a longer polar diameter than equatorial (longer than broad). As usual with Sorbus sp. the flowers are attractive and cover the tree but aren't sufficiently different from other Sorbus sp to be used in identification.

This introduction has successfully escaped all over the country and can easily be found in England, Scotland, Wales although there is only a little in Ireland on the east coast.

Great Orme Flowers: 27th May 2006, Fruit and leaves: 15th September 2006

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

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