Sorbus umbellata (Desf.) Fritsch
Crataegus umbellata Desf., Aria umbellata (Desf.) Sennikov & Kurtto
Eng.: Oriental whitebeam. Spa.: Serbal oriental. Fre.: Alisier d’Orient.
Tree up to 10 m in height, rarely a shrub. Branches glabrous, with smooth bark. Buds hairy. Leaves (3.8)5-7.1(10) cm, rounded to oval, with acute apex and cuneate base, margin twice serrate to slightly lobed, sparsely hairy on the upper side and white-tomentose on the underside, with 5-7 pairs of secondary veins not visible on the upper side; petiole (6)9-13(16.5) mm. Inflorescence corymbiform, hairy. Flowers about 12-14 mm in diameter. Sepals acute, spaced, persistent. Petals white, spaced, glabrous. Styles free. Fruit a subglobose pome, 7.6-10.4 × 5.2-8.4 mm, reddish.
Flowering:
May to June
Fruiting:
September to November.
Habitat:
Mountain slopes and forest margins.
Distribution:
North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East. In North Africa it is cited in Algeria (Batna, Jebel Touggourt) and Tunisia (Jebel Serdj).
Conservation status:
Rare but widely distributed species. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.