Sorbus latifolia (Lam.) Pers.
Crataegus latifolia Lam., Pyrus latifolia (Lam.) R. Thomps, S. scandica sensu Willk., Karpatiosorbus latifolia (Lam.) Sennikov & Kurtto.
Eng.: Broad-leaved whitebeam. Spa.: Mostajo. Fre.: Alisier de Fontainebleau.
Tree, deciduous, up to 10 m in height, irregular in shape. Trunk well defined, with greyish bark, scaly. Branches with smooth bark, greyish, branches of a few years reddish-brown and younger branches reddish. Buds slightly or not viscous. Leaves 5-12 × 5-13 cm, alternate, polygonal to ± oval in contour, with 3-5 pairs of clearly marked lateral lobes, cuneate at the base —rarely cordate—, serrate margin, almost glabrous, an intense green on the upper side and greyish-tomentose on the underside; petiole 1-2.5 cm. Inflorescence terminal, corymbiform, with densely pubescent peduncles on flowering and almost glabrous on fruiting. Flowers about 10-12 mm in diameter. Calyx densely hairy, with 2-3 small acute sepals, 2-3 × 2-2.5 mm long, with a few lateral teeth or without teeth. Corolla with 5 white petals, orbicular, cochleariform and crenulate, glabrous or almost glabrous. Stamens 18-20, with whitish anthers. Styles 2-3, fused in the lower third, hairy at the base. Fruit a subglobose pome, 12-16 × 11-16 mm, fleshy, crowned by the persistent calyx, at first greenish, finally orange. Seeds 1-3.
Flowering:
April to June.
Fruiting:
September to November.
Habitat:
Forests margins and mountain slopes.
Distribution:
Spread through central, S and W Europe. In North Africa it is cited only in Algeria (Ghar Rouban, SW of Tlemcen).
Observations:
Diploid, triploid or tetraploid apomictic species, occasionally with sexual reproduction; its genome derives from S. aria and S. torminalis. The current classification of this species is much discussed, see the Conservation Status section.
Conservation status:
Rare but widely distributed species. However, according Beech & Rivers (2017) S. latifolia
is a strict sense is endemic to an area of about 20,000 km2 in northern France (Fointainebleau forests and neighbouring areas). These authors list this species as Vulnerable (VU) at global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.