''Hedlundia hybrida'' (formerly ''Sorbus hybrida''), the Swedish service-tree Finnish whitebeam, or oakleaf mountain ash, is a species of whitebeam native to Norway, eastern Sweden, south-western Finland, and locally in Latvia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .Den Virtuella Floran
''Sorbus hybrida'' (in Swedish; with maps)
/ref>Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). ''Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow''. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London.

Description

''Hedlundia hybrida'' is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to tall with a stout trunk up to in diameter, and grey

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

. The crown is columnar or conic in young trees, becoming rounded with age, with branches angled upwards. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are green above, and densely hairy with white hairs beneath. long and broad, the leaves are lobed, with six to nine oval lobes on each side of the leaf. These lobes are broadest near the base with the two basal pairs of lobes cut right to the midrib as separate leaflets, rounded at the apex, with finely serrated margins. The autumn colour is dull rusty brown. The flowers are in diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs in diameter in late spring. The fruit is a globose

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince. Etymology The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, and re ...

in diameter, bright red, maturing in mid-autumn. The fruit is succulent, and eaten by thrushes and waxwings, which disperse the seeds.

Taxonomy

It is a tetraploid species of

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

origin between the European rowan (''Sorbus aucuparia'') and the

Swedish whitebeam ''Scandosorbus intermedia'', the Swedish whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam found in southern Sweden, with scattered occurrences in easternmost Denmark (Bornholm), the far southwest of Finland, Estonia, Latvia and northern Poland.Rushforth, K. ...

(''Scandosorbus intermedia''), the latter being a tetraploid triple hybrid between ''S. aucuparia'', the wild service tree (''Torminalis glaberrima)'', and the common whitebeam ''(Aria edulis)'' or one of its close relatives. ''S. intermedia'' differs from ''H. hybrida'' in having the leaves less deeply lobed with no separate leaflets. Closely related '' Hedlundia meinichii'' is a triploid or tetraploid species of hybrid origin between ''H. hybrida'' and ''S. aucuparia'' and differs in having the basal four to six pairs of lobes cut right to the midrib as separate leaflets. All three polyploid species are

apomictic In botany, apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". This definition notably does not mention meiosis. Thus "normal asexual reproduction" of plants, such as propagation from cuttin ...

species which breed true without pollination.

Cultivation

''Hedlundia'' ''hybrida'' is grown as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in northern Europe, and is locally

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...

in the British Isles. The cultivar 'Gibbsii' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedlundia hybrida hybrida Flora of Finland Flora of Sweden Flora of Norway Trees of Europe Hybrid plants