Trees Gallery - RHS Harlow Carr - page 7

Sorbus graeca

Greek whitebeam

A small tree or large shrub, up to 8m tall. Widely distributed SE Europe, superficially similar to the common whitebeam, but with more marked serrations on the leaves. Also known as aria graeca and fan-leaved service tree. It has white flowers followed by red berries.

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Sorbus pseudohupehensis 'Pink pagoda'

Chinese mountain ash

A species of rowan native to Yunnan province in China. It has blunt ended, bluish-green pinnate leaves. Hupehensis refers to Hupeh (Hupei or Hubei) where it is found growing naturally in thickets on mountain. John Grimshaw on Trees and Shrubs online notes of the Pink Pagoda label: So-called selections such as ‘Pink Pagoda’ are identical to every other member of the microspecies.

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Sorbus thibetica

Tibetan whitebeam

A compact medium sized tree growing to 20m in its native range of the Himalayas.

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Sorbus 'John Mitchell'

Tibetan whitebeam

A more compact cultivar of s. thibetica. In spring, it bears clusters of creamy white flowers, followed by reddish brown berries. It was introduced from China by English botanist and plant collector Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885 - 1958). Named after American botanist John Mitchell (1711-68).

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Sorbus x thuringiaca fastigiata

Bastard service tree

This is a hybrid with the native rowan and whitebeam as its parents. A small tree, growing to around 7- 12m. Clusters of white flowers are followed by dark red berries in autumn. It has a broadly upright oval crown with ascending branches.

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Staphylea pinnata

European bladdernut

A large shrub growing to 5m. Native to Europe, naturalised in Britain. Bladder-like, white, two or three lobed fruits. Compound pinnate leaflets arranged in 2 rows either side of a midrib like a feather leaves with 5 - 7 leaflets.

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Taxodium distichum

Bald cypress

A deciduous conifer, native to SE USA. Tall (40m), with a pyramidal crown on a trunk that can eventually be up to 3m in diameter. Also called the swamp cypress due to its liking for wet ground. The needles turn to bright orange-brown in autumn before falling.

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