Sorbus eminens
Sorbus eminens, the round-leaved whitebeam,[2] sometimes classified as Aria eminens when the Aria subgenus of Sorbus is elevated to full genus,[3] is a species of plant in the family Rosaceae. It is endemic to Great Britain. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Sorbus eminens | |
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Leaves and unripe fruit from a small tree in Sutton Park, England | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Sorbus |
Subgenus: | Sorbus subg. Aria |
Species: | S. eminens |
Binomial name | |
Sorbus eminens | |
Description
As part of the Sorbus aria complex, Sorbus eminens is broadly similar to S. aria. It is a shrub or small tree up to 10 m (33 ft) tall. The undersides of the leaves are greyish-white due to the many hairs. The leaves are more or less round, usually with a length 1–1.3 times the width, rarely up to 1.5 times as long as wide; they usually have 9–11 veins on either side. The leaf margins usually have a single series of teeth ("uniserrate") although there can be evidence of a second series ("biserrate"). The fruits have many lenticels, small and large, mainly towards the base.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Sorbus eminens is endemic to parts of south-west England and south Wales. It is considered to be native to calciferous woodland in north Somerset, west Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire.[4] It has also been recorded in Sutton Park, Birmingham, well outside its expected range, where it is assumed to have been planted originally.[5]
Evolution
S. eminens is a tetraploid, resulting from hybridisation between Sorbus aria and Sorbus porrigentiformis[6]
References
- Rivers, M.C. & Beech, E. (2017). "Sorbus eminens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T34728A80736113. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T34728A80736113.en.
- "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- "NBN Taxonomic and Designation Information: Sorbus eminens". National Biodiversity Network. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- Stace, Clive (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-70772-5. p. 209.
- Trueman, Ian; Poulton, Mike; Reade, Paul (2013). Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country. Newbury, Berks: Pisces Publications. ISBN 978-1-874357-55-1. p. 271.
- Robertson, A., Rich, T.C., Allen, A.M., Houston, L., Roberts, C.A.T., Bridle, J.R., Harris, S.A. and Hiscock, S.J., 2010. Hybridization and polyploidy as drivers of continuing evolution and speciation in Sorbus. Molecular Ecology, 19(8), pp.1675-1690.
Sources
- Wigginton, M. J. 1998. Sorbus eminens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 August 2007.