Thibetan Whitebeam (Sorbus thibetica)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in most reasonably good soils in an open sunny position, though it fruits better in a sunny position[K]. Plants are susceptible to fireblight. Closely related to S. cuspidata.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, but they are busy building up a good root system. It is best to keep them in pots in a cold frame for their first winter and then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. Very nice raw when it is fully ripe, preferably picked after a frost[K]. At this stage it has a mealy texture and a mild-flavoured slightly sweet fruit. The fruit can also be bletted. This involves storing the fruit in a cool dry place until it is almost but not quite going rotten. At this stage the fruit has a delicious taste, somewhat like a luscious tropical fruit. The fruit is up to 15mm across.
Habitat
Dense forests on slopes or in valleys, rocky slopes, streambanks and shrubby thickets at elevations of 2400 - 3800 metres in Tibet.
Native range
E. Asia - E. Himalayas to Burma.