Sorbus hybrida
L.
Swedish servicetree, Oak-leaf Mountain-ash
(c) Dmitriy Bochkov, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Dmitriy Bochkov, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Dmitriy Bochkov, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It measures 10–12mm across and is produced in fairly large bunches, making harvesting easier.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Europe, Scandinavia, Sweden,
How to Identify
A deciduous tree reaching 9 m tall, hardy to UK zone 5, not frost tender. Flowers in May; seeds ripen in September. Hermaphrodite, insect-pollinated, apomictic (reproduces by asexual seed formation), and self-fertile. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay well-drained soils. Tolerates mildly acid, neutral, or mildly alkaline pH, and can grow in very acid or very alkaline soils. Thrives in semi-shade or full sun, prefers moist conditions, and withstands strong winds but not coastal exposure. Notable for attracting wildlife.
How to Grow
Succeeds in most reasonably good soils in an open sunny position. Tolerates very acid or alkaline soils. Tolerates light shade, though it fruits better in a sunny position. Plants are susceptible to fireblight. The trees usually have apomictic flowers. They thus produce seed asexually, each seedling being a clone of the parent.
Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Where seed is plentiful, it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed. Stored seed benefits from 2 weeks of warm stratification followed by 14–16 weeks of cold stratification, so sow as early in the year as possible. Prick out seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle. Top-growth is very slow in the first year or two as the plant focuses on root development. Keep seedlings in pots in a cold frame through their first winter, then plant out into permanent positions in late spring.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
None known Special Uses Attracts Wildlife
Wikipedia
Source ↗Sorbus hybrida may refer to several different species of plants: Sorbus hybrida (L.) L., a synonym for Hedlundia hybrida, the Finnish whitebeam Sorbus hybrida Syme, a synonym for Hedlundia pseudofennica, the Arran service-tree Sorbus hybrida Heuff., an unplaced species of plant that cannot be brought into synonymy Sorbus hybrida W.D.J.Koch, an unplaced species of plant that cannot be brought into synonymy Sorbus hybrida Maly, an unplaced species of plant that cannot be brought into synonymy
Notes
There are about 75 Sorbus species.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Sp. pl. ed. 2, 1:684. 1762
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