The mountain ash grows in western and central Europe from lowland to high mountain elevations up to the tree line, and, in northern Europe, even beyond the Arctic Circle. It is resistant to frost, thrives on poorer soils and is important as a pioneer tree which, because it is distributed by birds, quickly covers burned and logged areas. It reaches a height of only 15 to 20 metres. The bark is smooth and grey-brown, the buds are elongate, dark brown with greyish hairs.
The white flowers appear in May, developing by autumn into bright red berries the size of a pea, which are a great favourite of birds. The tree’s Latin name aucuparia – avis capere indicates that the berries were used by bird-catchers to bait their traps. The mountain ash also has a cultivated variety with larger, sweet fruit, S. a. edulius (syn. (kids), grown in northern or mountainous regions for their fruit, which is used to make compotes, and jams.
The wild service tree has a heart-shaped root system with long lateral roots, and reproduces also by root suckers. The wood is heavy and very hard, and is used for woodcarvings and making rulers, gauges and instrument components. An ornamental tree, it is also suitable for planting alongside roads and in tree avenues. In southern Europe it often hybridizes with the whitebeam to produce the hybrid broad-leaved whitebeam
The whitebeam is widespread in southern, central and western Europe, including Great Britain, the southern tip of Sweden marking the northernmost limit of its range. Throughout this area, however, it occurs fairly sparsely. A light-demanding and warmth-loving species, it is often found growing on chalk or limestone hills facing south. In such conditions, it may be found at elevations even over 1000 metres.
The crab apple is a small tree growing to a height of only 5 to 10 metres. It has a broad crown and grey-brown bark that peels off in thin scales. The flowers, borne in clusters, arc usually pinkish outside, white inside, with yellow stamens, and open one to several weeks later than those of the pear. The fruit is a small greenish yellow apple, sometimes flushed red, with a short stalk and brown, drop-like seeds.
The crab apple thrives best in moist fertile soils, and requires ample light for good growth. It is the main species, and has given rise to many cultivated varieties. Fruit-growers to this day use it as a frost-resistant dwarfing rootstock for grafting the garden varieties. In the wild, its fruit is eaten by forest animals, and many of its lovely, richly coloured, flowering forms are frequently planted in parks as ornamentals.
