New York Metropolitan Flora

Genus: Sorbus

Sorbus aucuparia
Sorbus aucuparia L.

By Science Staff

Not peer reviewed

Last Modified 02/22/2012

Back to Rosaceae

Nomenclature

Sorbus L., Sp. Pl. 1: 477. 1753. Gen. Pl., ed. 5, 213. 1754. Aucuparia Medik., Philos. Bot. 1: 138. 1789, nom. illeg. (Art. 52.1). LECTOTYPE: Sorbus domestica L. sole member of genus after Medikus moved S. aucuparia to Aucuparia Medikus (1789). Sorbus domestica, however, is in serious conflict with the protologue Brizicky (1968) and to be superceded by Sorbus aucuparia L.

Pyrenia Clairv., Man. Herbor. Suisse 161. 1811. TYPE: Not designated.

Key to the species of Sorbus

1. Twigs, lower surface of leaflets, branches of the inflorescence and hypanthium all densely white-villous; winter buds white-villous, not glutinous...Sorbus aucuparia
1. Twigs, leaflets, branches of the inflorescence and hypanthium glabrous or glabrate...2.

2. Flowers 5-6 mm across; inflorescence dense, glabrous; fruit 4-6 mm across...Sorbus americana
2. Flowers 8-10 mm across; inflorescence loose, slightly pubescent; fruit 7-10 mm across...Sorbus decora

List of Sorbus Species

Sorbus americana Sorbus aucuparia Sorbus decora

References to Sorbus

  • Aldasoro, J. J.; Aedo, C.; Navarro, C. 1998. Pome anatomy of Rosaceae subfam. Maloideae, with special reference to Pyrus. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: 518-527.
  • Brizicky, George K. 1968. Sorbus and the problem of generic typification. J. Arnold Arbor. 49: 502-8.
  • Challice, J. S. 1981. Chemotaxonomic studies in the family Rosaceae and the evolutionary origins of the subfamily Maloideae. Preslia 53(4): 289-304. (Chech summary)
  • Fernald, M. L. 1947. Minor transfers in Pyrus. Rhodora 49(585): 229-33.
  • Flemion, F. 1931. After-ripening, germination, and vitality of seeds of Sorbus aucuparia L. Contr. Boyce Thompson Inst. Pl. Res. 3: 413-39.
  • Gendel's, T. V. 1990. Morphological leaf transformation in the genus Sorbus (Rosaceae). Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Lenengrad) 75(1): 57-61. (In Russian)
  • Hedlund, T. 1901. Monographie der Gattung Sorbus. Bih. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl. 35(1): 1-147.
  • Hedlund, T. 1948. Concerning the rise of new biotypes within the genus Sorbus. Bot. Not. 101: 381-92. (In Swedish; English summary)
  • Hilton, R. J.; Jaswal, A. S.; Teskey, B. J. E.; Barabas, B. 1965. Rest period studies on seeds on Amelanchier, Prunus and Sorbus. Canad. J. Pl. Sci. 45: 79-85.
  • Hunter, J. C.; Mattice, J. A. 2002. The spread of woody exotics into the forests of a northeastern landscape, 1938-1999. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 129: 220-227.
  • Hyland, F. 1943. New combinations in Pyrus. Rhodora 45: 28.
  • Iketani, H.; Ohashi, H. 1991. Anatomical structure of fruits and evolution of the tribe Sorbeae in the subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae). Jap. J. Bot. 66: 319-351. (In English; Japanese summary)
  • Jankun, A. 1993. Evolutionary significance of apomixis in the genus Sorbus (Rosaceae). Fragm. Flor. Geobot. 38: 627-86. (In Polish; English summary)
  • Jones, G. N. 1939. A synopsis of the North American species of Sorbus. J. Arnold Arbor. 20: 1-43.
  • Jones, G. N. 1953. Nomenclature of American Mountain-ash. Rhodora 55(660): 358-60.
  • Kovanda, M. 1961. Flower and fruit morphology of Sorbus in correlation to the taxonomy of the genus. Preslia 33: 1-16.
  • Kovanda, M.; Pouzar, Z. 1982. (666) Proposal to conserve Sorbus L. 1753 with the species Sorbus aucuparia L. as its type. Taxon 31: 340-1.
  • Liljefors, A. 1953. Studies on propagation, embryology, and pollination in Sorbus. Acta Horti Berg. 16: 277-329.
  • McAllister, H. 1985. The aucuparia section of Sorbus. The Plantsman 6(4): 248-55.
  • Merrill, E. K. 1978. Comparison of mature leaf architecture of three types in Sorbus L. (Rosaceae). Bot. Gaz. 139: 447-53.
  • Phipps, J. B.; Robertson, K. R.; Rohrer, J. R.; Smith, P. G. 1991. Origins and evolution of subfam. Maloideae (Rosaceae). Syst. Bot. 16: 303-32.
  • Phipps, J. B.; Smith, P. G.; Rohrer, J. R. 1990. A checklist of the subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae). Canad. J. Bot. 68: 2209-69. (French summary)
  • Robertson, K. R.; Phipps, J. B.; Rohrer, J. R. 1992. Summary of leaves in the genera of Maloideae (Rosaceae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 79: 81-94.
  • Robertson, K. R.; Phipps, J. B.; Rohrer, J. R.; Smith, P. G. 1991. A synopsis of genera in Maloideae (Rosaceae). Syst. Bot. 16: 376-94.
  • Rohrer, J. R.; Robertson, K. R.; Phipps, J. B. 1991. Variation in structure among fruits of Maloideae (Rosaceae) Amer. J. Bot. 78: 1617-35.
  • Sax, H. J.; Sax, K. 1947. The cytogenetics of generic hybrids of Sorbus. J. Arnold Arbor. 28: 137-40.
  • Sterling, C. 1965. Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Rosaceae. V. Pomoideae: Amelanchier, Aronia, Malacomeles, Malus, Peraphyllum, Pyrus, Sorbus. Amer. J. Bot. 52: 418-26.
  • Sterling, C. 1953. Developmental anatomy of the fruit of Prunus domestica. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 80: 457-477. (Other genera also)
  • Sullivan, J. 1992. Sorbus americana. ()
  • Wright, D. 1981. Sorbus: a gardener's evaluation. The Plantsman 3(2): 65-98.