Wild
Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis) |
Wild service flowers in May and ripens its fruits in August. They are soft, dull crimson-brown and sweet enough to eat, but with a gritty texture. They were once sold in Kentish markets as 'chequers berries' from the 'chequers tree', a name that may have arisen from the 'chequerboard' appearance of the square-flaked bark. The seeds are spread by birds; if gathered they rest for eighteen months before sprouting. The seedling has two blunt, oblong seed-leaves, then oval leaves with toothed edges before the lobed form appears. 'Wild service' is a botanist's name, based on a slight re-semblance to the True service tree, Sorbus domestica, which grows in France (where it is called cormier) and bears edible berries. 'Service' comes from cerevisia, a Roman alcoholic drink made by fermenting grain and Sorbus berries. The Latin name, S. torminalis, and the Danish and Swedish tarmvrid (literally 'tummy-writhe') are based on the use of the berries to cure colic. The German name is Elsbeere and the French alisier terminal. This tree is found over Central Europe and in southern Scandinavia. In Wales it is called cerddinen wyllt, or 'strange rowan'. From Wayside and Woodland Trees by Herbert L. Edlin Published by Frederick Warne. |
In the 70s I knew of only two wild service trees in Dagnam Park. Peter Adams has recently undertaken a search and established that the trees I knew are still in place and he has also uncovered several more including one at the northern end of the Fir Wood. Peter Adams has taken all of the pictures below especially for this web page. They were taken in September 2019. There is another more common tree in the park with superficially similar leaves, this is the field maple (Acer campestre) Peter has set out the two leaves side by side for comparison, the lower of the two, figured below on the left is the wild service tree. Locally in the past I knew of at least one tree in Duck Wood and one in the small remnant of woodland in Dagnam Park Drive backing on to Tarnworth Road. The 1919 map below shows Hatters wood with all the known wild service tree locations marked. In August 2020 Peter Adams had a detailed look at the wild service trees along the ridge in Hatters wood all six of them,(marked red) and he came to the conclusion that they were planted by the Neave estate. They are all of similar age and evenly spaced, except for the most southerly one. He suggests that the two outliers (marked yellow) could have self seeded. Further reading; Botanical Society of Great Britain paper on the British distribution. https://archive.bsbi.org.uk/Wats19p209.pdf Del Smith.
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