Sorbus intermedia (Swedish Whitebeam)

A handsome street tree in the UK, noticeable at this time of year, until the birds eat the fruit. It is native to the Baltic region, including southern and central Sweden, approximately in what is known as the "oak-region", to distinguish it from the vast areas of coniferous forest that cover the rest of the country. In Sweden it is often planted in wind-alleys and along the coast, being notably windfirm. Its popularity in the UK has more to do with its resistance to air pollution. It may have arisen after the last ice age as a natural cross between Sorbus aria (Whitebeam) and Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan) - a similar origin, probably, to some of our rare endemic species (S. leyana, S. anglica, S. minima, S. arranensis), though these are mostly shrubs.

The Swedish name for the tree is "oxel", of unknown derivation, but perhaps from the same root as other ancient fruit-words (such as "akarn" (ollon - acorn)) - the word "oxel" would therefore have originally denoted the fruit only. - as per apple, chestnut, and many other trees.



The name "intermedia" refers to the distinctive leaf shape, intermediate between the entire whitebeam and the pinnate rowan. Though obviously a Sorbus, the shape strikes me as vaguely oak-like, too.





The fruits contain two ovules, which potentially form two pips. Most of the fruits I examined contained only a single pip.

The wood was formerly used to make rulers - inch-rulers in those days (Swedish "tum") - and by woodcarvers to make spoons, spokes, axles etc.