''Sorbus wilmottiana'', the Willmott's 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 ...

in the family Rosaceae. 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 England, and is found in the

Avon Gorge The Avon Gorge () is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the ...

, in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

''Sorbus wilmottiana'' is a small tree or shrub, up to 10m in height. It is often multistemmed, with rather upright branches.

Distribution

This species is confined to the Avon Gorge, in SW England; less than 100 individuals are known.

Ecology and Evolution

''Sorbus wilmottiana'' appears to be shade intolerant, growing in rocky scrub and grassland on shallow, mildly acidic soils. ''Sorbus wilmottiana'' arose from a cross between Sorbus aria and Sorbus porrigentiformis.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.

References

External links

* Endemic flora of England wilmottiana Critically endangered plants Environment of Somerset Environment of Gloucestershire Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{sorbus-stub