Wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz), Jeřáb břek in Czech, brekyňa in Slovak, Elsbeere in German.
Wild service tree alleys are rare in the Czech Republic (e.g., Broumy near Beroun, Závist near Zbraslav). The tree alley near Brejl is the largest in terms of the number of planted individual trees, including both older and younger trees. The trees were declared as protected in 2012.
Characteristics
- medium-tall tree (15-25 m tall, trunk diameter up to 1 m) with straight trunk and scaly, flaky bark,
- lives 100-150 years,
- typical leaves with sharp notches and five distinct lobes, yellow red in autumn,
- Decorative white flowers develop in late May, assembled in corymbs,
- The rowanberries are brown, lightly spotted, soft and edible when ripe.
The wild service tree prefers warmer and sunny places but can withstand heavier shading when young. It grows best on fertile, nutrient-rich soils, but can also tolerate skeletal, dry soils with occasional moisture deficits. It does not thrive on waterlogged sites. It is mainly found as an admixture of deciduous vegetation. It grows slowly and suffers from gnawing by game. It is a thermophilic tree of western, central, and southern Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus (up to 1700 m above sea level). It also grows in isolation in North Africa, Syria, and northern Iran. In the Czech Republic, it grows in thermophilous oak woods, oak-hornbeam woods, calcicolous beech woodlands, and in acidophilous oak woods of the hills. The largest populations are in the Křivoklát region, the Czech Central Highlands and southern Moravia. Its altitudinal maximum is 720 m above sea level in the White Carpathians. Sorbus torminalis is a rare tree species and should be supported in forest stands and landscape greenery. Mature pomes are eaten by birds, so it is a tree supporting biodiversity suitable for projects of the ÚSES. It is not very often planted in settlements, although it is tolerant of urban environment. It has high quality, fine grained, heavy, and tough wood. It was particularly valued in wheelwrighting and woodcarving - it was used to make wooden screws, butcher's blocks, and flutes, for example.
