Sometimes known as Northern Whitebeam, this nationally scarce species was traditionally called Hen-apple in Scotland. Usually found on limestone or other basic cliffs, rocks and screes.

Native to north-west Europe where it is widespread but with tiny, fragmented populations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and Estonia. Also in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and a few areas of England (south-west and north). Introduced in Denmark.

Syn. Sorbus rupicola. Probably a sexual allotetraploid (four chromosome sets), with Common Whitebeam one ancestral parent and the other unknown. Rock Whitebeam is one of the hybrid parents of Arran Whitebeam and Bloody Whitebeam.

Small (10m), often multi-stemmed and sinuous from the base, typically clinging to steep rocks with stiffly outspread branches. Bark red-brown. Buds sharply lanceolate with long white hairs. Leaves oblong-obovate, twice as long as wide and held erect, 4-8cm, unlobed, obtuse-tipped, dark green above, densely green-white downy below, with 12-19 veins and variably biserrate margins almost smooth in the lowest quarter, on an 8-23mm petiole. Flowers white in a dense 8cm inflorescence (May-June). Fruit a globose pome (10-14mm), distinctly wider than long, deep red with many basal white lenticels (September-November).