Image of Sorbus domestica var. pyrifera

Description:

Slo.: kor - Habitat: stony hills of Adriatic Sea shore, abandoned fields and Mediterranean makia edge, almost flat terrain, calcareous ground, full sun, average precipitations ~1.200 mm/year, average temperature 16 deg C, elevation 20 m (60 feet), Mediterranean phytogeographical region. - Substratum: red karst type soil. - Comment: Growing solitary. Generally this is a quite rare tree today, almost totally forgotten and being listed as an rare and endangered species in Switzerland, Austria and Britain. In Slovenia one can find it only here and there being almost rare too. In the sub- and Mediterranean region of Croatia it is more frequent. However, long time ago the situation was quite different. Sorbus domestica was a common tree species in woods as well in cultivation. It was known as useful species for its healthy fruits and wood for more than 2.000 years. In favorable conditions it grows quite large and it is a long-lived tree, with ages of up to 400 years. Its wood is beautiful. Among the European trees it belongs to those with the highest density of wood. However, its fruits picked straight off the tree are highly astringent and gritty, but when left to over-ripen it sweetness and aroma becomes something really special. The fruits have never been broadly industrially-commercially important and that is probably why they still keep their very unique and pleasant taste. The fruits can be either apple-shaped (S.d.fo. pomifera (Hayne) Rehder) or pear-shaped (S.d.fo. pyrifera (Hayne) Rehder). - 'var. pyrifera' should actually be 'fo. pyrifera', however 'fo.' is unfortunately not accepted by CalPhotos. - Ref.: (1) P.Schuett et all., Lexikon der Baum- und Straucharten, Nikol Verlag (1992), p 489.