In the 1800s, a poacher burnt this tree down and was reputedly banished to Australia for his crime.
Luckily, material had been propagated and some progeny survive today.
More recently in the United Kingdom, several wild populations have been found. In a 1999 study, the tree was reported to be represented there by a meagre 23 wild plants and 22 suckers.
Native to parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, Sorbus domestica is also listed as endangered in Switzerland and Austria and uncommon in Spain.
Commonly called the whitty tree, true service tree or sorb tree, it can live for up to 400 years. Dunedin Botanic Garden has one large, mature Sorbus domestica estimated to be about 100 years old. It makes up part of the lower garden tree collection in the lawns near the car park.
Sorbus is in the rose family and the flowers, which are small and white with about 20 creamy stamens and grow in clusters, typically have five petals. The 25cm-long leaves are pinnate and made up of 13-21 leaflets. The Botanic Garden whitty tree is on the cusp of flowering.
Over summer, 2cm-3cm fruits develop. When ripe they are a greenish brown and tinged red on the sunny side.
Picked straight from the tree, the fruit is astringent, but left to over-ripen becomes sweeter and good to eat.
• Marianne Groothuis is the camellia and theme collection curator at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
