Wild Service Trees

[Hedgehogpie]

I've just been given 3 baby ones!

Yay!!!!!

[Boots]

YAY!!!!!!!!



um... Whassa Wild Service Tree?

[Hedgehogpie]

http://www.british-trees.com/guide/wildservicetree.htm

http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/service.htm

http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/5Wild%2 ... 20tree.htm

There ya go - bet you wished you hadn't asked now!

[Boots]

oooh That is a very impressive tree, and rare too, huh?

Sounds like it might grow here... clay soils and sun, but I have never heard of it. Just googled and it seems we have one at the Melbourne Uni Botanic Gardens. I like it. Will go post a seed request and see if any of our forest wanderers happen across one.


How come they are so rare if they produce all those berries?

[2steps]

yay. I've been told the fruit is very nice but I've never been lucky enough to find one

[the.fee.fairy]

oooh, i live near Hatfield Forest, i wonder is there's some around there.

Might have to yoink a few berries if there are, and see if i can grow one in my garden.

Good luck with them, and please keep us updated on its progress.

[Hedgehogpie]

Will do!

The trees were accompanied by a pot of jam made by my friends from the fruit they'd collected this autumn. It tastes really nice, but has a slightly strange fiberous texture that reminds me a bit of bletted medlars.

They also confirmed that the bletted fruits are delicious raw. I'm not sure why they're no doing so well over here (these trees have just come over from France), they were once common as a hedgerow plant, but large numbers of seed produced in nature usually indicates a hight rate of attrition - perhaps not many get the chance to germinate properly?

I also gather that it spreads better by suckers and responds extremely well to coppicing so maybe when large tracts of hedges were ripped out (progress, huh! ) the trees just went too.

I really hope these little fellas do well, I'd love to get them fruiting so I can spread the seed around!