SORBUS GRAECA

Including:- Sorbus umbellata

Family and Genus:- See- ROSACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Sorbus aria ssp. cretica, Sorbus aria ssp. graeca.

Meaning:- Sorbus (L) Ancient Latin name sorbum for the fruit of the service tree

Theophrastus for the hawthorn's timber.

Graeca (L) Greek, from Greece

General description:- Deciduous shrub or small tree up to 5 m.

Twigs:-

1) Young, rather stout, densely white-tomentose, later glabrescent and reddish-

brown.

Leaves:-

1) 5-9 x 4-7 cm, obovate or suborbicular, not lobed, cuneate at the base, somewhat

coriaceous, with 9-11 pairs of veins, usually thick, greenish-white,

tomentose beneath, biserrate; teeth, symmetrical and patent.

Flowers:-

1) Petals, 5, usually white and small. 8-15 mm.

2) Sepals, deflexed.

3) Styles, 1.

Fruit:-

1) Tomentose when young, glabrescent and orange-red when mature, subglobose

and up to 12 mm in diam, with few, large lenticels.

Key features:-

1) Leaves, obovate or suborbicular, not lobed, cuneate at the base.

a)teeth, symmetrical and patent.

2) Fruit, not longer than wide.usually less than 12 mm, with few lenticels.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Ledges of limestone cliffs, woodland margins. (400-)800-1800 m.

Scattered and never in large quantities.

Distribution:- On mainland Greece from Mt Taigetos to the N borders. -

Widespread in the Mediterranean region and SW Asia. Rare on Crete known from

the Lefka Ori in the west and two others locations in the centre and east.

Flowering time:- May to early July.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis