Round-leaved whitebeam

Scientific name: Sorbus eminens

Status: Nationally rare. IUCN – Endangered

Flowering time: White flowers May – June. Red berries from August – October.

Description: Tree growing 5-20 metres tall with broad round leaves similar in shape to a ping-pong bat. Occurs in diverse locations: steep slopes in carboniferous limestone woodlands, open cliffs and riversides.

Social history: First described as a separate whitebeam species by E. F. Warburg in 1957.

Taxonomy: Rosaceae (or rose) family. Originated as a hybrid between Sorbus aria (common whitebeam) and Sorbus porrigentiformis (grey-leaved whitebeam).

Global and national distribution: Endemic to the UK.

Threats: Tolerant of shade, but not dense shading out from taller woodland tree species.

Photographs: © Denice Stout, © Libby Houston.