whitty pear (true service tree, Sorbus domestica)
A tree native to southern and eastern Europe eastwards, similar in appearance to the native rowan but capable of growing taller and with damson-sized fruits. According to the Species Status Assessment Group the species is either native or an archaeophyte. It is nationally rare and critically endangered in Britain.
This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
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