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Sorbus hybrida
Mountain ash 'Gibbsii'
Mountain ash 'Gibbsii' (Eng), Mostajo (Spa), server hibrid (Cat).
Native
DID YOU KNOW...? The genome of this mountain ash is a hybrid of Sorbus aria and S. aucuparia, so its leaves have intermediate characteristics.
DESCRIPTION
Tree that can be up to 15 m tall. The leaves are (6)10-12 cm long and 3-8(11) cm wide. They are deciduous, alternate (this character is seen best in the middle of the branches, as at the ends they are sometimes very close together), bright green on the upper side, and greyish or whitish in colour and velvety on the underside. They are simple, but can appear compound as the basal lobes are sometimes so deeply incised that they become separated. This only occurs only in one of the lobes and not the opposite one, making the leaves asymmetrical. The very fragrant white flowers bloom in May or June in very numerous terminal groups. The fruits are spherical and red when ripe.
ECOLOGY
This scarce species does not form forests but is found together with birches, beech and oaks, or appears in scrubland and rocky areas. It is indifferent to soil type and lives at altitudes of 300 m to 800 m.
DISTRIBUTION
Ranges across northern, central and southwestern Europe. On the Iberian Peninsula it is particularly found in the northern half, in the Montes de León, Cordillera Cantábrica and Pyrenees ranges, and it is very rare in the Albarracín, Ayllón and Sierra Nevada mountains.
