Sorbus pseudomeinichii of the location. The species is named after Glen Catacol where it was found and one of the two surviving plants is thought to be more than fifty years old. Sorbus pseudomeinichii Sorbus pseudomeinichii, known as false rowan and Catacol whitebeam, is a rare tree endemic to the Isle of Arran in south west Scotland. It is believed to have arisen as a hybrid of the native rowan ("Sorbus aucuparia") and the cut-leaved whitebeam ("Sorbus pseudofennica") which is in turn a rowan/Arran whitebeam ("Sorbus arranensis") hybrid. Only two specimens of the Catacol whitebeam are known, making it the rarest tree
Sorbus aucuparia damp, acidic, low on nutrients, sandy, and loose. It often grows in stony soil or clay soil, but also sandy soil or wet peat. The plant grows best on fresh, loose, and fertile soil, prefers average humidity, and does not tolerate saline soil or waterlogging. It can be found in light woodland of all kinds and as a pioneer species over fallen dead trees or in clearcuttings, and at the edge of forests or at the sides of roads. Seeds of "S. aucuparia" germinate easily, so the plant may appear on inaccessible rock, ruins, branch forks, or on hollow trees.