Sorbus domestica - Service tree

Service tree (Sorbus domestica) is a deciduous fruit tree native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Its pear-like fruit is inedible until bletted (softened by cold storage), after which it develops a sweet flavour used fresh, dried, or fermented into cider. It reaches about 20 m tall, more on favourable sites,¹ with other sources giving 15-20 m² and up to 12 m.³

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 6⁴
• Hardiness zone 7⁴
• Hardiness zone 8⁴
• Hardiness zone 9⁴
• Hardiness zone 10⁴

Outputs

• Human food⁴
• Wood⁴

Type

• Sorbus spp. - Mountain ash
• Tree
• Deciduous

Functions

• Wildlife habitat⁴
• Drought-tolerance⁴

Dimension	At maturity
Height (m)	about 20 (15-20; up to 12)

Footnotes

1. Sorbus domestica | EU Atlas of Forest Tree Species ↩

2. Sorbus domestica | El Bosque de los Zaragozanos, Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza ↩

3. Sorbus domestica | Universidad de Valladolid, Campus de Palencia ↩

4. Sorbus domestica | PFAF Plant Database ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹