Wild Service Tree

[decorum]

I'm wondering whether anyone could help me with a bit of info. I'm trying to find out about the Wild Service Tree latin name Sorbus torminalis. I'm part way into the web research and am looking for info on regional uses of the tree and regional folk-lore. Any info, or even vague memories, will be greatly appreciated.

 

[cccc]

Any info, or even vague memories, will be greatly appreciated.

I know they like the south and I think my Uncle had one of the most northern in the UK with his near Malvern. I can remember being shown it and told it was a rare tree and even rarer for its position. I had a dried leaf for many years.

As for its use etc., I am sorry, but I am interested to find out Good luck !

 

[scanker]

Is this any help?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Service_Tree

 

[decorum]

Thanks guys,

All help is good help, I've purposely refrained from posting what I know and where I've aready sourced info from on the basis that someone might find an item I've over looked. I'm helping to survey a 40+ acre site of ancient woodland which is still in active use. As an indicator of ancient woodland and considered rare, I find it strange that as it isn't a protected species.

 

[allenko]

Hi

Yeah, I'm probably telling you to suck eggs but Kochanski refers to good uses of the Wild service in his chef d'oeuvre Bushcraft.

 

[decorum]

Please feel free to assume that I know nothing . As I said before all info is greatly appreciated as are links to any site that you feel might help.

:Wow:

 

[andyn]

I remember catching a glimpse of a programme while i was visiting family in Hemel and there were discussing this tree. Had a bit of a dig around on the web and found the series. It was called "Tales from the countryside" and they have some word docs on their website about the episodes.

this is what they had to say about the tree

"Tony Francis met with expert Dr Patrick Roper to uncover the history of one of the UK’s least known native trees – the Wild Service Tree.

The name of the tree is also called the Chequer tree down in the South East of England, where the majority of the trees are to be found.

The tree produces many berries around September and October, and it was these berries which were used before hops to flavour beer.

Due to the high level of illiteracy at the time when the chequer tree beer was brewed, pubs would display a chequer board outside the pub, much like the barber pole, to denote it was a pub. A tradition that has carried on to this day, with many pubs still carry the name of ‘The Chequers’

Patrick Roper’s book about the Wild Service Tree can be found at www.sagepress.co.uk"

Copied from here: http://www.itvregions.com/London/Programmes/Tales+from+the+Country.htm Episode 7.


Had a dig around for this Patrick Roper and found this: http://ramblingsofanaturalist.blogspot.com/2006/10/cake-with-wild-service-berries.html


Would be interested to read all your findings once you put it all together.

 

[swyn]

The fruit was gathered in mediaeval times and allowed to rot slightly. This allowed the sugars to develop and then they were used as an early form of sweetie.

Although I have never milled any of the timber from this species there are a couple of fine specimens here both measuring in at over fifty cube each. One is a fine parkland tree and the other one is in amongst some sweet chestnut. They are both very old (1704?)
They are also common in hedgerows locally. Much like Field Maple.
We planted 250 in strategic places as it has a fine flower display with a distinctive smell. The flowers look a bit like cow parsley.

The timber is considered as possibly the most valuable in the world and is used for penelling, bedroom and furniture The veneering companies are the ones who usually show a keen interest.

In Europe it's known by the trade name of Swiss Pear. The majority of the mature trees coming from France and also from Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

I hope this is of interest.

Swyn.

 

[decorum]

Thanks andyn,

Very useful thanks.

We'll also be surveying the grasses and perennials. It's likely to be reams of info as we're digging into the history of the wood as well as surveying the plants and animals. Eventually we want to have a document which doesn't just list the flora and fauna and its interconnectivity (I think that's a real word - sounds good to me anyway) but which connects an ecology to its community; past and present. If anyone wants me to I'll try to work out a way of doing updates - without giving too much away of course

A while back I was sitting quietly in a clearing watching a pheasant proudly parade her young. It was really nice, right up to the point that a sparrow hawk swerved to miss me:yikes: .

 

[decorum]

Thanks swyn,
I've a question for you. I looked up Swiss Pear and got the latin name Pyrus Communis (Common Pear). Do you know if the trade name Swiss Pear is used to cover a group of closely related timber species: Pyrus and Sorbus are both in the sub-family Maloideae (apple) in the family Rosaceae (rose), if it is an old mis-labelling which stuck or if I'm not looking in the right place?

 

[falling rain]

There are 3 Wild service trees (that I've managed to find) in Shotover country park in Oxfordshire. They are small specimens but as far as I know don't grow very quickly and need an exacting situation. They're fussy so and so's in other words, and need all the right conditions to prosper and don't propogate very well. it's hard to judge how old they are. Maybe a tree expert could age them.
The wood from the tree as some have already mentioned is beautiful and was used in medieval times (amongst others ) to make crossbow stocks and furniture for the crossbows. I read this in the Readers digest book of trees years ago.
I have a lampshade that has wild service leaves in it made from leaves I collected. If you want any leaves let me know but of course I'll only collect fallen leaves and won't go picking the leaves from the tree.

 

[swyn]

Hi Decorum.

You are certainly looking in the right places and there is a whole lot of information to read about! So much so that I think leaving it with the label of Swiss Pear simplified things somewhat.

Rosaceae family sums it up as a 'cosmopolitan family of seed bearing plants'.

Good luck with your search. If you get to next years Spring Moot I will try and do another walk to take in at least one of thse fine specimens. If the dates are the same they will be in flower too.

Regards from Swyn.

 

[decorum]

Our thanks to you all, so far your posts have helped us connect several things we'd got and expanded on others.

:notworthy

 

[decorum]

Not found the elusive Wild Service Tree(s).....YET. However we have found plenty of interesting stuff so far - a lot is yet to to have its identity confirmed. It's a steep learning curve as the previous survey listed 200+ plants and we're adding to the list already. Unfortunately we've had to inform the management team that we believe we've found a major problem plant.......Giant Hogweed :Wow: . We hope that we're wrong.
On the upside is that we may have found a Burnet Rose; a rare species that's made all the more special (pending ID verification) due to it being in an un-natural habitat. We've also found some very weird 'cones' on Small Leaved Limes - yet to ID the laying bug as we've only seen the cones. These cones seem to be caused by an insect laying an egg and the developing bug causing the cone - looks funky cool but we're hoping they aren't going to cause the trees any further damage.

 

[dommyracer]

I have read that the Prime Minister's country retreat is also called 'Chequers' because th e WST grows on the estate. Although a small part of the estate has a public path (the ridgeway) running through it, not sure if there are any WST on this section.