| Species | Endemic whitebeams – Sorbus vexans, S subcuneata, S devoniensis, S taxon, plant |
| Habitat | UPLAND OAKWOOD |
| Background and status | All of these members
of the Sorbus family are only found in Britain. Small to medium-sized
deciduous trees, each has a limited distribution. Sorbus devoniensis,
with simple, toothed, leathery leaves, dark glossy green above and white
below can be confused with Sorbus subcuneata, a small tree with brownish-orange
fruits becoming brown when fully ripe. In fact, a tree at Watersmeet, near
Lynton, Devon, usually known as the ‘No Parking’ tree has been
identified as both. Commonest in North Devon, the fruits of Sorbus devoniensis
were once sold in Barnstaple Market. It also occurs in South Devon, East
Cornwall and South-East Ireland. The main habitat of all the species is
open woodland (apart from the Devon whitebeam which is largeley a hedgerow
species), usually on steep slopes near to the sea or rocky coastal cliffs.
Sorbus vexans and S subcuneata are regarded as vulnerable and S devoniensis is nationally scarce (occuring in 16-100 10km squares in Britain). |
| Main Threats | Loss of hedges, removal of hedgrow trees, too frequent and too close cutting of hedges are a threat to the Devon whitebeam. Invasion of non-native plants, especially rhododendron, but also evergreen oaks in coastal areas such as Torbay, into woodland habitats, leads to competetion with whitebeams. Lack of knowledge of landowners/managers of the species, their locations and habitat requirements. |
| Conservation and targets |
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