Chamaemespilus

Chamaemespilus is a genus of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Chamaemespilus alpina, commonly known as false medlar or dwarf whitebeam. It is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, from the Pyrenees east through the Alps to the Carpathians and the Balkans, growing at elevations of up to 2500 m.^[1]

Chamaemespilus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Chamaemespilus Medik.
Species:	C. alpina
Binomial name
Chamaemespilus alpina (Mill.) K.R.Robertson & J.B.Phipps
Synonyms
List (Species) Azarolus alpina (Mill.) Borkh. Crataegus alpina Mill. Pyrus alpina (Mill.) Du Roi Aria chamaemespilus (L.) Host Aria chamaemespilus var. bicolor Lavallée Aria crantzii Beck Aronia ariachamaemespilus Rchb. Aronia chamaemespilus (L.) Pers. Azarolus chamaemespilus (L.) Borkh. Chamaemespilus humilis M.Roem. Crataegus chamaemespilus (L.) Jacq. Crataegus chamaemespilus discolor Ser. Crataegus humilis Lam. Crataegus sorbifolia Desf. Hahnia chamaemespilus (L.) Medik. Lazarolus chamaemespilus (L.) Borkh. Mespilus chamaemespilus L. Prunus chamaemespilus (L.) Sm. Pyrenia chamaemespylus (L.) Clairv. Pyrus chamaemespilus (L.) Ehrh. Pyrus chamaemespilus subvar. crantzii (Beck) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus chamaemespilus var. discolor (Hegetschw.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus chamaemespilus var. glabra (Neilr.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus chamaemespilus proles typica Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus fruticosa (Crantz) M.F.Fay & Christenh. Sorbus carpatica Andrz. Sorbus cerasoides Gand. Sorbus chamaemespilus (L.) Crantz Sorbus chamaemespilus var. angustifolia A.Kern. ex Murr Sorbus chamaemespilus f. angustifolia Wilczek & Braun-Blanq. Sorbus chamaemespilus subsp. calvescens Domin Sorbus chamaemespilus var. discolor Neilr. Sorbus chamaemespilus var. discolor Hegetschw. Sorbus chamaemespilus f. discolor (Hegetschw.) Düll Sorbus chamaemespilus var. glabra Neilr. Sorbus chamaemespilus f. grosseserrata Düll Sorbus chamaemespilus var. lanuginosa Neilr. Sorbus chamaemespilus minus Simonk. Sorbus chamaemespilus var. ovalifolia Rouy & E.G.Camus Sorbus chamaemespilus var. tomentosa Reut. Sorbus chamaemespilus var. tomentosa Gren. Sorbus chamaemespilus var. typica (Asch. & Graebn.) Buia Sorbus crantzii (Beck) Hayek Sorbus dentosa Gand. Sorbus fruticosa Crantz Sorbus pilosula Gand. Sorbus purpurea Dulac

Description

Chamaemespilus alpina is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–3 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, oval-elliptic, 3–7 cm long, with an acute apex and a serrated margin; they are green on both sides, without the white felting found on most whitebeams. The flowers are pink, with five forward-pointing petals 5–7 mm long; they are produced in corymbs 3–4 cm diameter. The fruit is an oval red pome 10–13 mm diameter.^[1][2]

Taxonomy

Chamaemespilus alpina is the sole species in a group that has been variously classified as the genus Chamaemespilus^[3][4] or Sorbus subgenus Chamaemespilus,^[5] distinguished from other subgenera of Sorbus by the pink (not white) flowers with forward-pointing petals (not opening flat).^[2] More recently, it has become clear that the simple-leafed species traditionally included in Sorbus form a monophyletic group, and this species could be included in a clade called Aria^[6] (genus Aria or Sorbus subgenus Aria).

Gallery

• 
  Tree in autumn
• 
  fruit

References

1. Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
2. Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
3. Robertson, K.R.; Phipps, J.B.; Rohrer, J.R.; Smith, P.G. (1991), "A synopsis of genera in Maloideae (Rosaceae)", Systematic Botany, 16 (2): 376–394, doi:10.2307/2419287, JSTOR 2419287
4. Potter, D.; Eriksson, T.; Evans, R.C.; Oh, S.; Smedmark, J.E.E.; Morgan, D.R.; Kerr, M.; Robertson, K.R.; Arsenault, M.; Dickinson, T.A.; Campbell, C.S. (2007), "Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae", Plant Systematics and Evolution, 266 (1–2): 5–43, Bibcode:2007PSyEv.266....5P, doi:10.1007/s00606-007-0539-9, S2CID 16578516
5. Lepší, M.; Lepší, P.; Koutecký, P.; Bílá, J.; Vít, P. (2015), "Taxonomic revision of Sorbus subgenus Aria occurring in the Czech Republic" (PDF), Preslia, 87: 109–162
6. Lo, E.Y.Y.; Donoghue, M.J. (2012), "Expanded phylogenetic and dating analyses of the apples and their relatives (Pyreae, Rosaceae)", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63 (2): 230–243, Bibcode:2012MolPE..63..230L, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.005, PMID 22293154

External links

• Media related to Chamaemespilus alpina at Wikimedia Commons