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Torminalis glaberrima

wild service-tree

Rosaceae

Europe, North Africa, and western Asia

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Torminalis glaberrima is a deciduous tree of the rose family, reaching 30-80 feet (10-25 m), long grown and known as the wild service-tree. Its broad, glossy leaves are 2.8-4.7 inches (7-12 cm) long and cut into several pointed, forward-angled lobes, recalling a maple leaf, and they turn deep red, bronze, and orange in autumn. The grey-brown bark breaks into small squarish plates that flake away with age. In May and June it carries flat clusters of white, five-petalled flowers about 0.4-0.6 inches (10-15 mm) across. These ripen by autumn into oval brown fruits roughly 0.5-0.6 inches (12-16 mm) long, speckled with pale lenticels, known as chequers. The fruits are hard and sour until softened by frost or storage, a process called bletting, after which the pulp becomes sweet and was once eaten and brewed. The tree grows on heavy clay and lime-rich soils in old woodland, hedgerows, and wood edges, and is treated as a sign of ancient woodland. It is slow-growing and long-lived, spreading locally by root suckers as well as by seed. It casts moderate shade and tolerates a range of soils but reaches its largest size in warm, sunny positions.

Native Range

Native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, from England and Wales south to the Mediterranean and east into the Caucasus and Iran. In Britain it lies near the northern edge of its range and is mainly southern.

Suggested Uses

Grown as a specimen and shade tree in large gardens, parks, and hedgerows, and planted in native woodland and conservation schemes. It suits naturalistic and wildlife plantings on clay and chalk. Its eventual size and slow growth make it unsuited to small gardens or quick screening.

How to Identify

Identify it by broad, maple-like leaves with sharply pointed, forward-pointing lobes, glossy green above and turning red and bronze in autumn. The grey bark cracks into small square plates, and flat white flower clusters in late spring give way to brown, pale-speckled oval fruits. Mature trees reach 30-80 feet (10-25 m).

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height30' - 80'

Width/Spread20' - 50'

Reaches mature size in approximately 30 years

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

red

bronze

orange

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Spring Summer

Flat clusters of white flowers open in May and June, after the leaves emerge. Bees and other insects pollinate them. The flowers ripen by early autumn into oval brown chequers speckled with pale dots, which soften and sweeten only after frost.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

dark green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 5-9 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

20-40 years to full size, flowering after about 10-15 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Torminalis glaberrima grows in full sun to light shade on deep, fertile, moisture-retaining soils, especially heavy clay and lime-rich loams, pH about 6.0-8.0. It tolerates a range of conditions but is slow to establish and slow-growing, often taking several decades to reach full size. Young trees are raised from seed, which needs a period of cold to germinate, or from rooted suckers. Once established it withstands drought, wind, and exposure and is hardy across USDA zones 5-8. It needs little care beyond formative shaping when young. It suckers from the roots, which can produce a small thicket around old trees.

Pruning

Little pruning is needed beyond removing dead, crossing, or damaged branches in winter while the tree is dormant. Any shaping is done on young trees to build a clear trunk. Root suckers can be removed if a single-stemmed tree is wanted.