Sorbus intermedia (Swedish Whitebeam) is a species of whitebeam native to the Baltic Sea region in southern Scandinavia (southern Sweden, easternmost Denmark (Bornholm) and the far southwest of Finland), the Baltic States, and northern Poland.
It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 10 – 20m tall with a stout trunk up to 60 cm diameter and grey bark; the crown is dome-shaped, with stout horizontal branches. The leaves are green above, and densely hairy with pale grey-white hairs beneath, 7 – 12cm long and 5 – 7cm broad, with four to seven oval lobes on each side of the leaf, broadest near the middle, rounded at the apex, and finely serrated margins. The autumn colour is dull yellowish to grey-brown. The flowers are 15 – 20mm diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs 8 – 12cm diameter in late spring. The fruit is an oval pome 15mm long and 10mm diameter, orange-red to red, maturing in mid autumn. The fruit is dryish, and eaten by thrushes and waxwings, which disperse the seeds. It is closely related to Sorbus hybrida (Finnish Whitebeam), which differs in having the leaves more deeply lobed, with the basal two pairs cut right to the midrib as separate leaflets.
Cultivation and uses
It is widely grown as an ornamental tree in northern Europe, valued for its tolerance of urban street conditions; it is very commonly used in avenues and urban parks. It is frequently naturalised in the British Isles.
