Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz
Crataegus torminalis L., Torminalis clusii M.Roem. ex K.R. Robertson & J.B. Phipps, T. glaberrima (Gand.) Sennikov & Kurtto
Eng.: Wild service-tree. Spa.: Mostajo, peral de monte. Fre.: Sorbier torminal, alisier torminal. Ara./Tam.: Mechtehi, zaârur, tfech, tfeh, taicht.
Tree, deciduous, hermaphrodite, up to 20 m in height, irregular in shape, but ± broadly oblong. Trunk generally well defined, with greyish-brown or reddish-brown bark, slightly fissured. Young branches slightly lanate at first, then glabrous, reddish-brown. Buds slightly viscous. Leaves (5-12 × 5-12 cm) alternate, broadly oval, acute, generally rounded at the base, with 5-9 ovate-triangular, acute lobes, ± deep, with finely serrated margin, glabrous or glabrescent, dark green and slightly shiny on the upper side and matt light green on the underside. Petiole well developed (1.5-5 cm long), slightly villous. Inflorescence terminal, corymbiform, very dense, very numerous small flowers (about 12 mm in diameter); peduncles villous. Calyx villous, greenish, with 5 small triangular-lanceolate sepals, 1-1.5 mm long. Corolla white, with 5 suborbicular petals, glabrous above and slightly pubescent beneath. Stamens 16-18, with whitish, yellow or red anthers. Styles 2, fused at the base. Fruit a slightly fleshy pome, ovoid or subglobose (12-18 mm), crowned by the persistent calyx, greenish at first and finally brownish or brown, with many whitish spots. Seeds usually 4.
Flowering:
May to June.
Fruiting:
September to November.
Habitat:
Forests of low and medium mountains (1000-2000 m) on calcareous and siliceous soils. Bioclimate subhumid to hyperhumid, mesomediterranean and supramediterranean floors
Distribution:
Central Europe and Mediterranean region. In North Africa it is the most common species of the genus, becoming even locally abundant in cedar forests in the Middle Atlas, but still it is broadly rare. In Morocco it is distributed in the Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas (Jebel Iskt, SE of Demnat), in Algeria in the eastern Tellian Atlas (Djurdjura, Babors, Sour-El-Ghozlane, etc.) and Aures Massif.
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. In Algeria it is included in the List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012).