Botanical name:                  Sorbus torminalis

Family:                                   Rosaceae

Common Name:                   Wild Service Tree

Habitat and Distribution:

A native of England, found from Europe to North Africa, through the Caucasus and the Middle East.

Generally found on clay and limestone in full light with Rowan, Cherry, and Oak.

Description:

A Medium deciduous tree of 15 to 25 meters (50-80 ft) with shiny bright green maple like leaves which turn a deep red in autumn. Cluster of creamy white flowers, 1.2 cm (0.5 in), open in spring. These give rise to russet brown berries, covered in speckles in autumn.

The bark is dark brown or grey and cracks into scaly plates.

The trees can reach 200 to 300 years of age.

Timber:

The sapwood and heartwood of the service tree are the same colour. Younger trees are yellowish-white to light reddish. Older trees have a darker wood, reddish-yellow to red-brown. When steam-treated the wood becomes red or red-brown. The wood has a similar appearance to that of the pear tree and it is difficult to differentiate them on the basis of cut timber alone.

The service tree is rare and correspondingly only small quantities of wood are on the market and at a high price.

Uses:

Rather rare but used for turnery, carving, veneers and cabinet work.

It has been used to produce luxury furniture and interior furnishing, wall and ceiling panelling, musical instruments, especially flutes, organ pipes, pianos and harpsichords, measuring and drawing equipments.
The fruit has been eaten in many parts of the country but it is very acid and has to be left to go rotten first, or 'bletted' before it is edible.

The fruit was also used to make an alcoholic liquor called Chequers, which was sold across the county in Chequers Inns.

 

Location within the arboretum:

The specimen is to be found in the north eastern corner of the old entrance gate area.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

 

Canopy of a mature tree

September 2005

Detail of bark

Leaf

Leaves in September

Clusters of flowers

Fruit

Autumn colour

Well ripened fruits, not ‘bletted’ yet

Detail of fruit

Veneer