tree/flower identification please

[thada1]

I was prowling around my neighbourhood looking for likely bee-friendly plants to photograph. I found a place with sycamore, horse chestnut, field bean, field poppy and hawthorne all with 100yds of each other (and even saw bees on the hawthorne). However, at the end of the row of trees was the one whose leaves and flowers are shown in the photo. Not being much of a tree hugger, I didn't know what it is. Does anyone know?

 

[Cazza]

Hi Thada1
At first glance, looks like hawthorn?- actually harder to tell so close up!
Cazza

 

[BDaddy]

I agree.

Regards
BD

 

[keithgrimes]

looks like Hawthorn or Quickthorn to me

 

[tidymeup]

This is a photo of hawthorn i took on friday.

 

[thada1]

it's not a hawthorn. The leaves are about 4" long, but with more "fingers" than a hawthorne: 15 instead of 5. Here's a close up of hawthorn flower for comparison, and a blackthorn from April. Very similar in structure, differences mostly in colours of nectaries and stamens.
I will go back and stand further away from the tree for a more normal perspective, to see if that helps to recognise it.

 

[wilderness]

what do the flowers smell like?

 

[Rollo P]

Possibly a Sorbus sp. Same family, Roseacae, as Hawthorn and indeed Cotoneaster,Malus and Pyrus,

 

[victor meldrew]

Right click the picture and it's identified as Blackthorn

john Wilkinson

 

[thada1]

I will go back and stand further away from the tree for a more normal perspective, to see if that helps to recognise it.

Here it is (if I go back further it just looks like any old tree ;-) )

 

[victor meldrew]

blackthorn-090410.jpg (1 of 2)

This is the picture ID of the flower in question.

John Wilkinson

 

[thada1]

Victor/John
I fear I have sown confusion in this thread. The group of 2 pictures included a blackthorn flower, taken in April, but no longer in flower in this part of Kent. Hawthorn is in full bloom at the moment. I showed this for similarity of flower structure. Then there is the tree of which I do not know the identity. Close up photo at the top of the thread, and a recent wider angle, showing more leaf and twig.

 

[BKF Admin]

Mountain ash ?

 

[wilderness]

Sorbus Intermedia - Swedish Whitebeam. 1st image
Sorbus x thuringiaca - Bastard Service Tree - 2nd image

The undersides of the leaves suggested a whitebeam to me.

I think your specimen might be the second one due to the leaf shape.

 

[thada1]

thanks! A testament to the power of crowdsourcing. Even better, when I google "swedish whitebeam bees", the first hit is
BBKA trees

So my bees probably knew about it before me. There might be a little doubt as to whether it is Swedish or Mougeott's (sorbus mougeotti), but in the references I found it was hard to discern an obvious difference.

p.s.
I seem to have stumbled across a house rule about BBKA URLs - just google it!

 

[Colin reilly]

I was prowling around my neighbourhood looking for likely bee-friendly plants to photograph. I found a place with sycamore, horse chestnut, field bean, field poppy and hawthorne all with 100yds of each other (and even saw bees on the hawthorne). However, at the end of the row of trees was the one whose leaves and flowers are shown in the photo. Not being much of a tree hugger, I didn't know what it is. Does anyone know?

Thada1

It looks like a Swedish Whitebeam.Leaf edges have serrated lobes, with 6-9 pairs of leaf veins.These trees usually have lollipop shape dome.Greyish bark. Creamy white flowers.
Often planted on street sides.
Colin