Whitebeams  (Sorbus spp)

Description

The genus of Sorbus trees comprises a widely differing group. The family includes rowan, also known as the mountain ash Sorbus aucuparia, wild service tree S. torminalis, service tree S. domestica, and whitebeam S. aria. Their sizes range from 5 m for some of the isolated and exposed varieties, up to 25 m in the case of the wild service tree. Their leaves also display a wide variety of shapes, some resembling the ash and others with a similar appearance to maple or hornbeam.

Whitebeam is notorious for producing local varieties, some of these restricted to a handful of individuals confined to an extremely small area. There are believed to be about 14 separate species, but it is possible that new varieties will continue to be discovered - or even evolve - on inaccessible cliffs the British Isles.

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