Chamaemespilus is a genus of shrubs in the rose family (Rosaceae, order Rosales). It is monotypic, containing only the species Chamaemespilus alpina, commonly called false medlar or dwarf whitebeam. It is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, from the Pyrenees east through the Alps to the Carpathians and the Balkans.
The plant is a deciduous shrub reaching 2–3 m in height. Its leaves are spirally arranged, oval-elliptic, 3–7 cm long, with an acute apex and serrated margins; unlike most whitebeams, both leaf surfaces are green and lack the characteristic white felting. The flowers are pink, with five forward-pointing petals 5–7 mm long, produced in corymbs 3–4 cm across. The fruit is an oval red pome 10–13 mm in diameter.
Taxonomically, Chamaemespilus has been treated both as a distinct genus and as a subgenus within Sorbus (subgenus Chamaemespilus), distinguished from other whitebeams by its pink, forward-facing flowers. Recent phylogenetic work indicates that the simple-leafed Sorbus species form a monophyletic group, and this species may alternatively be placed within the clade Aria.
Distribution
Chamaemespilus is native to the mountain ranges of central and southern Europe. Its range extends from the Pyrenees in the west, eastward through the Alps, to the Carpathians and the Balkan mountains, at elevations up to 2500 m.
Ecology
Chamaemespilus alpina is a species of montane to subalpine habitats, growing at elevations up to 2500 m across the central and southern European mountain chains.
Taxonomy Notes
Chamaemespilus has been variously classified as a distinct genus or as a subgenus of Sorbus (Sorbus subgen. Chamaemespilus). It is distinguished from other subgenera of Sorbus by its pink (rather than white) flowers, with petals that point forward rather than opening flat. More recently, phylogenetic evidence has shown that the simple-leafed species traditionally placed in Sorbus form a monophyletic group; under this classification, Chamaemespilus may be included in the clade Aria (either as the genus Aria or Sorbus subgenus Aria). The genus was described by Medikus in 1789, and its sole species carries the authorship (Mill.) K.R.Robertson & J.B.Phipps.
