''Karpatiosorbus admonitor'', previously classified as ''Sorbus admonitor'' and also called the no parking whitebeam, is a species of

whitebeam The whitebeams are members of the family Rosaceae, comprising subgenus ''Aria'' (or, according to some authorities, its own genus) of genus ''Sorbus'', and hybrids involving species of this subgenus and members of subgenera ''Sorbus'', ''Torminar ...

tree found in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, United Kingdom. It is known only from the Watersmeet Valley at Lynton, with two stray plants growing on the coast above Sillery Sands, Countisbury.

Discovery

Its unusual name derives from the location of the first tree to be found (not the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

) – by a

lay-by A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...

near Watersmeet in North Devon, with a "no parking" sign nailed to the tree. Although first recognised as a distinct variety in the 1930s (by the botanist E. F. Warburg) because of its strongly lobed leaves, it was only accorded

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

status in 2009, after various biochemical analyses. It is believed at least 110 individuals of the species exist and represent a stable population. The leaves of the no parking whitebeam have more accentuated lobes than the Devon whitebeam, of which it was thought before to be a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. The research project that named the tree as a species was led by Dr Tim Rich, head of vascular plants at the

National Museum Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, as well as academics from Bristol University, Exeter University,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

and the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

. The announcement of the species, and of thirteen other ''Sorbus'' species, was made in two papers in the BSBI's journal '' Watsonia''. Dr Rich stated that the trees, along with other new whitebeam species, had "probably developed recently", and also considered them as "examples of on-going

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

of new species". In 2017 Kurtto and Sennikov assigned many whitebeam species, including the no-parking whitebeam, to a new genus ''Karpatiosorbus''. Members of ''Karpatiosorbus'' are hybrids of two divergent Malinae taxa that were previously all considered to part of the genus ''Sorbus''.

Details

The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

is a large tree above

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically ...

at Watersmeet in Vice-county 4, North Devon, Grid Ref ; the material studied was collected on 10 October 2007. It is a member of the '' Karpatiosorbus latifolia'' group. It is similar to '' Karpatiosorbus devoniensis'', but differing in having leaves more deeply lobed, 10–23% of the way to the midrib at the centre of the

lamina Lamina may refer to: Science and technology * Planar lamina, a two-dimensional planar closed surface with mass and density, in mathematics * Laminar flow, (or streamline flow) occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption betwee ...

– not 6–18% as in ''K. devoniensis''; the leaves of ''K. admonitor'' are also glossier than those of ''K. devoniensis''. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Watersmeet area, where there are at least 108 trees in the East Lyn Valley and two trees nearby above Sillery Sands,

Lynmouth Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as bu ...

. ''K. devoniensis'' does not grow in this area. The two species have not been confirmed as growing together. A

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

count showed that the species is

tetraploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...

. As a result of its small range, which is largely confined to North Devon, it has an IUCN conservation assessment of

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

. However, its population trend is stable, and ''ex-situ'' conservation measures are in place. In addition, the majority of ''K. admonitors range exists in protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q41521667, from2=Q3927392 admonitor Plants described in 2009 Endemic flora of England Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN