Torminalis

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Torminalis glaberrima
Sorbus torminalis fruits-001.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Torminalis
Medik.
Species:
T. glaberrima
Binomial name
Torminalis glaberrima
(Gand.) Sennikov & Kurtto
Synonyms [1]
List

(Genus)

  • HahniaMedik.
  • Torminaria(DC.) Opiz

(Species)

  • Pyrus torminalis var. glaberrima(Gand.) Asch. & Graebn.
  • Sorbus glaberrimaGand.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. glaberrima(Gand.) Hegi
  • Aria torminalis(L.) Beck
  • Aria torminalis f. mollis(Beck) Beck
  • Azarolus torminalis(L.) Borkh.
  • Crataegus torminalisL.
  • Hahnia torminalis(L.) Medik.
  • Lazarolus torminalis(L.) Borkh.
  • Malus torminalis(L.) Risso
  • Mespilus torminalis(L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg.
  • Pyrenia torminalis(L.) Clairv.
  • Pyrus septilobaStokes
  • Pyrus torminalis(L.) Ehrh. in Beitr.
  • Pyrus torminalis var. mollis(Beck) Asch. & Graebn.
  • Pyrus torminalis f. mollisBeck
  • Pyrus torminalis var. perincisa(Borbás & Fekete) Asch. & Graebn.
  • Pyrus torminalis var. pinnatifida(Boiss.) Asch. & Graebn.
  • Sorbus guadarramicaPau
  • Sorbus latifolia var. semitorminalisBorbás
  • Sorbus orientalisSchönb.-Tem.
  • Sorbus perincisaBorbás & Fekete
  • Sorbus semitorminalis(Borbás) Hedl.
  • Sorbus torminalis(L.) Crantz
  • Sorbus torminalis f. angustifoliaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. araliifoliaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis subsp. brachylobaO.Schwarz
  • Sorbus torminalis f. brachylobaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. brevifoliaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. brevilobaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. budensisKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. caucasicaDiap.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. cuneataKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. dolichocarpaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. dolichocarpaKossetz
  • Sorbus torminalis f. domokosianaKerényi & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. genuinaKossetz
  • Sorbus torminalis f. grosseserrataKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. inaequalisKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. intermediaKossetz
  • Sorbus torminalis var. kabylicaChabert
  • Sorbus torminalis f. kerenyianaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. kissii(Jáv.) Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis subsp. kissiiJáv.
  • Sorbus torminalis var. kissii(Jáv.) Soó
  • Sorbus torminalis f. longifoliaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. longilobaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. macrocarpaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. macrophyllaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. microcarpaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. microphyllaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. mollis(Beck) Diap.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. mollis(Beck) C.K.Schneid.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. obtectaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. obtusaNyár.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. obtusa(Nyár.) Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. orientalis(Schönb.-Tem.) Gabrieljan
  • Sorbus torminalis f. orientalis(Schönb.-Tem.) Browicz
  • Sorbus torminalis f. pendulaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. penzesianaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. perincisa(Borbás & Fekete) Beck
  • Sorbus torminalis subsp. perincisa(Borbás & Fekete) Jáv.
  • Sorbus torminalis var. perincisa(Borbás & Fekete) C.K.Schneid.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. pinnatifida(Boiss.) Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. pinnatifidaBoiss.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. pisiferaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. platylobaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. platyphyllaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. pomoideaKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. priszteriKárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. rotundataPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis var. semitorminalis(Borbás) Düll
  • Sorbus torminalis f. semitorminalis(Borbás) Jáv.
  • Sorbus torminalis f. sphaerocarpaPriszter & Kárpáti
  • Sorbus torminalis f. stenolobaKárpáti
  • Torminalis clusiiK.R.Robertson & J.B.Phipps
  • Torminalis orientalis(Schönb.-Tem.) K.R.Robertson & J.B.Phipps
  • Torminaria clusiiM.Roem.
  • Torminaria clusii var. pubescensLavallée
  • Torminaria torminalis(L.) Dippel
  • Torminaria vulgarisSchur

Torminalis is a genus of plants in the rose family Rosaceae. [1] The genus Torminalis was formerly included within the genus Sorbus , as the section Torminaria, but the simple-leafed species traditionally classified in Sorbus are now considered to form a separate monophyletic group. [2] It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Torminalis glaberrima, commonly known as wild service tree, chequers, and checker tree. [3] This tree is native to Europe, parts of northern Africa and western Asia.

Contents

A possible second species in the genus has been identified through DNA analysis, but a new scientific description for it has not yet been written. [4]

Description

Torminalis glaberrima is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15–25 metres (49–82 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 1.3 m (4+12 ft) in diameter. The bark is smooth and grayish, but flaky, peeling away in squarish plates to reveal darker brown layers. The leaves are 6–14 centimetres (2–6 inches) long and broad with a 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) petiole, dark green on both sides, with five to nine acute lobes; the basal pair of lobes are spreading, the rest more forward-pointing and decreasing in size to the leaf apex, and with finely toothed margins; the undersides have small hairs when young, but both sides are smooth and shiny when older; the autumn colour is yellow to red-brown. The flowers are 10–15 millimetres (3858 in) in diameter, with five white petals and 20 creamy-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs 5–12 cm (2–4+12 in) diameter in late spring to early summer, and are hermaphroditic and insect pollinated. The fruit is a globose to ovoid pome 10–15 mm in diameter, greenish to russet or brown, patterned with small pale lenticel spots when mature in mid to late autumn. [5] [6] [7]

Taxonomy

There are two varieties: [5]

The genus Torminalis was formerly included within the genus Sorbus , as the section Torminaria, but the simple-leafed species traditionally classified in Sorbus are now considered to form a separate monophyletic group. [2]

Torminalis glaberrima is a sexually reproducing diploid species that forms diploid and polyploid hybrids with members of the genus Aria (whitebeams). [8] A number of often very localised stable apomictic polyploid species of ultimately hybrid origin between Sorbus torminalis and various species in the genus Aria occur in Europe, including Sorbus latifolia (service tree of Fontainebleau), and S. bristoliensis (Bristol whitebeam). [5] They are now classified as the Karpatiosorbus genus.

Etymology

The tree's Latin name, torminalis means "good for colic".

The name "chequers" may have been derived from the ancient symbol of a pub being the chequer-board (as the fruit were once used to flavour beer) [9] or the spotted pattern of the fruit, [10] though some suggest it comes from the pattern of the bark on old trees.[ citation needed ]

Distribution and habitat

It is found from Great Britain (England and Wales) east to Denmark and Poland, south to northwest Africa, and southeast to southwest Asia from Asia Minor to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains. [5]

The wild service tree favours deep fertile soils, but can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, from chalky, superficial, dry soils to temporarily waterlogged soils, often found alongside the true service tree. It can adapt to a variety of climatic conditions, but occurs most often in lowlands. Wild service tree is a light-demanding species, often out-competed by other hardwood species. [11]

It is relatively rare and in Britain is now usually confined to pockets of ancient woodland, although it can also be found growing in hedgerows. It can often be found associated with oak and ash woods, preferring clay and lime based soils. In Britain, summer temperatures are often too low for the seeds to ripen, so its principal method of propagation is by suckers. [5]

Ecology

The fruits are eaten by many birds and a few mammals, making the tree ecologically important. [11]

Uses

Wood of Torminalis glaberrima Elsbeere Holz.jpg
Wood of Torminalis glaberrima

The wild service tree is one of the most valuable hardwoods in Europe. The wood is fine-grained, very dense and has good bending strength. It was used in the past to make screws for winepresses, billiard cue sticks, musical instruments and turnery. Today, it is usually only used for decorative veneers. [11]

The fruit, sometimes called "chequers", are edible and taste similar to dates, although they are now rarely collected for food. They are usually too astringent to eat until they are over-ripe and bletted. They were traditionally known as a herbal remedy for colic. Before the introduction of hops, the fruit were used to flavour beer. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maloideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The MaloideaeC.Weber was the apple subfamily, a grouping used by some taxonomists within the rose family, Rosaceae. Recent molecular phylogenetic evidence has shown that the traditional Spiraeoideae and Amygdaloideae form part of the same clade as the traditional Maloideae, and the correct name for this group is Amygdaloideae. Earlier circumscriptions of Maloideae are more-or-less equivalent to subtribe Malinae or to tribe Maleae. The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially important fruits, such as apples and pears, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amygdaloideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

Amygdaloideae is a subfamily within the flowering plant family Rosaceae. It was formerly considered by some authors to be separate from Rosaceae, and the family names Prunaceae and Amygdalaceae have been used. Reanalysis from 2007 has shown that the previous definition of subfamily Spiraeoideae was paraphyletic. To solve this problem, a larger subfamily was defined that includes the former Amygdaloideae, Spiraeoideae, and Maloideae. This subfamily, however, is to be called Amygdaloideae rather than Spiraeoideae under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants as updated in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowan</span> Common name of a subgenus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae

The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus Sorbus of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya, southern Tibet and parts of western China, where numerous apomictic microspecies occur. The name rowan was originally applied to the species Sorbus aucuparia and is also used for other species in the genus Sorbus.

<i>Sorbus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae

Sorbus is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of Sorbus (s.l.) are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan, mountain-ash and service tree. The exact number of species is disputed depending on the circumscription of the genus, and also due to the number of apomictic microspecies, which some treat as distinct species, but others group in a smaller number of variable species. Recent treatments classify Sorbus in a narrower sense to include only the pinnate leaved species of subgenus Sorbus, raising several of the other subgenera to generic rank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitebeam</span> Subgenus of flowering plants, the whitebeams, in the rose family Rosaceae

The whitebeams are members of the family Rosaceae, comprising the genus Aria. They are deciduous trees with simple or lobed leaves, arranged alternately. They are related to the rowans, and many of the endemic restricted-range apomictic microspecies of whitebeam in Europe are thought to derive from hybrids between the common whitebeam and the European rowan. Some are also thought to be hybrids with the wild service tree, and the service tree of Fontainebleau found in French woodlands.

<i>Cormus domestica</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Cormus domestica, commonly known as service tree or sorb tree, is a species of tree native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It may be called true service tree, to distinguish it from wild service tree. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Cormus.

<i>Chamaemespilus</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Chamaemespilus is a genus of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Chamaemespilus alpina, commonly known as false medlar or dwarf whitebeam. It is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, from the Pyrenees east through the Alps to the Carpathians and the Balkans, growing at altitudes of up to 2500 m.

<i>Karpatiosorbus latifolia</i> Species of tree

Karpatiosorbus latifolia is a species of whitebeam that is endemic to the area around Fontainebleau, south of Paris in France, where it has been known since the early eighteenth century.

Aria wilmottiana, commonly known as Willmott's whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam in the family Rosaceae. It is endemic to England, and is found in the Avon Gorge, in Somerset and Gloucestershire. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Aria edulis</i> Species of tree, the type species of the whitebeams

Aria edulis, the whitebeam or common whitebeam, is a species of deciduous tree in the family Rosaceae. It is native to most of Europe as well as North Africa and temperate Asia. Typically compact and domed, with few upswept branches and almost-white underside of the leaves, it generally favours dry limestone and chalk soils. The hermaphrodite cream-white flowers appear in May, are insect pollinated, and go on to produce scarlet berries, which are often eaten by birds.

<i>Sorbus commixta</i> Species of tree

Sorbus commixta, the Japanese rowan, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, and Sakhalin.

<i>Scandosorbus intermedia</i> Species of whitebeam found in northern Europe

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

<i>Hedlundia hybrida</i> Hybrid species of tree

Hedlundia hybrida, the oakleaf mountain ash, Swedish service-tree or Finnish whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam native to Norway, eastern Sweden, south-western Finland, and locally in Latvia.

<i>Alniaria alnifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae

Alniaria alnifolia, also called alder-leafed whitebeam, Korean whitebeam, or Korean mountain ash, Korean: 팥배나무; RR: Patbaenamu; MR: p'atpaenamu; lit. 'red bean pear tree' Chinese: 水榆花楸; pinyin: shui yu hua qiu; lit. 'water elm rowan', is a species of whitebeam native to eastern Asia in eastern and northern China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

<i>Sorbus mougeotii</i> Species of flowering plant

Sorbus mougeotii, the Vosges whitebeam or Mougeot's whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam native to the mountains of central and western Europe from the Pyrenees east through the Alps to Austria, and north to the Vosges Mountains.

<i>Karpatiosorbus devoniensis</i> Species of tree

Karpatiosorbus devoniensis is known by the English name of Devon whitebeam and formally as Broad-leaved Whitebeam. When the fruit was reported as sold at Barnstaple Pannier Market the name French Eagles was used, apart from 1929 when they were reported as eagle-berries. When the trees were reported as seen growing wild on botanical walks they were referred to as French Hails. Broad-leaved white-beam, which was the common name until Devon Whitebeam took over, was used once in 1907. The term Otmast was used once as a pet name, as its true identity was not known. The term sorb apple has been used recently but completely without foundation, it is another example of a name being attributed to the wrong species. It is a species of whitebeam, trees and shrubs in the family Rosaceae. It is endemic to the British Isles, growing wild in areas of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and south-east Ireland as a native and north-east Ireland as an introduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maleae</span> Tribe of flowering plants

The Maleae are the apple tribe in the rose family, Rosaceae. The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially important fruits, such as apples and pears, while others are cultivated as ornamentals. Older taxonomies separated some of this group as tribe Crataegeae, as the Cydonia group, or some genera were placed in family Quillajaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malinae</span> Subtribe of flowering plants

Malinae is the name for the apple subtribe in the rose family, Rosaceae. This name is required by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, which came into force in 2011 for any group at the subtribe rank that includes the genus Malus but not either of the genera Rosa or Amygdalus. The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially important fruits, such as apples and pears, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.

<i>Hedlundia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Hedlundia is a genus of plants in the rose family. They are shrubs or small trees that have a hybrid origin involving crosses between Aria and Sorbus sensu stricto. There are about 48 species are distributed across central, western and southern Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Crimea, and also central Asia. The term Hedlundia was published in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "Torminalis glaberrima (Gand.) Sennikov & Kurtto | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Lo, E.Y.Y.; Donoghue, M.J. (2012), "Expanded phylogenetic and dating analyses of the apples and their relatives (Pyreae, Rosaceae)", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63 (2): 230–243, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.005, PMID   22293154
  3. "Taxon: Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz", USDA GRIN Taxonomy, archived from the original on September 18, 2016, retrieved June 30, 2016
  4. "Specimen Record | Public Data Portal | BOLDSYSTEMS". www.boldsystems.org. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN   0-00-220013-9.
  6. Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN   0-00-212035-6
  7. Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN   0-340-40170-2
  8. Pellicer, J.; Clermont, S.; Houston, L.; Rich, T.C.; Fay, M.F. (2012). "Cytotype diversity in the Sorbus complex (Rosaceae) in Britain: sorting out the puzzle". Annals of Botany. 110 (6): 1185–1193. doi:10.1093/aob/mcs185. PMC   3478048 . PMID   22922587.
  9. 1 2 G. J. Monson-Fitzjohn gives three possible origins for chequers as a pub name: the chequer board suggests the passing away of odd hours by a game of "draughts"; others were named from the custom of painting signposts sometimes found outside pubs in alternate black and white squares; and others from the "chequy field" of the coat of arms of a local landowner. 270 hotels, tavern and inns then bore the name.--Monson-Fitzjohn, G. J. (1926) Quaint Signs of Olde Inns. London: Herbert Jenkins (reissued by Senate, London, 1994 ISBN   1-85958-028-9); pp. 34, 45
  10. Oxford English Dictionary
  11. 1 2 3 Demesure-Muschm, B. & Oddou-Muratorio, S. (2004), Wild service tree - Sorbus torminalis: Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use (PDF), European Forest Genetic Resources Programme, p. 6, archived from the original (PDF) on January 31, 2017

Further reading