Somerset Whitebeam (Sorbus subcuneata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Tree |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Sorbus subcuneata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Wilmott |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | English endemic with c. 300 fruiting and immature plants in 8 sites (Rich & Cann 2009; Hamston 2016), hence ' Endangered’ (Rivers et al. 2019) but probably stable in medium term. As for S. margaretae and S. vexans, long term habitat degradation occurring due to spread of rhododendron, high deer numbers stopping regeneration, and cessation of coppicing combining to threaten it's long term survival. Wider habitat management much more important. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | Wider habitat management for North Devon/Somerset coastal woodland much more important; without it in medium term Sorbus will become restricted to open rocks. Species well understood and with detailed data, under not threat, low priority for action. Species relatively easy to identify/survey |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | North Devon/Somerset coast woodlands and rocks would benefit from more regular coppicing, removal of rhododendron and control of deer populations to allow regeneration |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.