| General Information |
| Common Name | Rowan (Mountain Ash) |
| Scientific Name | Sorbus aucuparia |
| Sun Tolerance | Full Sun |
| Height | 5-15 m (18-50 ft) |
| Spread | 3 -8 m (10 - 30 ft) |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Bloom Time | Spring |
| Color | Green, |
| Flower Color | White |
| Type | Tree |
| Native | Europe, USA |
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| Classification |
| Kingdom | Plantae – Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class | Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Subclass | Rosidae |
| Order | Rosales |
| Family | Rosaceae – Rose family |
| Genus | Sorbus L. – Mountain Ash |
| Species | S. aucuparia |
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| Sorbus aucuparia - Rowan - Mountain Ash |
Sorbus aucuparia common name is Rowan also known as Mountain
Ash. It is one of European most attractive small trees, usually seen as a
solitary specimen throughout woodlands or scattered in rocky, mountainous
regions. It is best known for its graceful slender outline, attractive feathery
leaves and gay bunches of white flowers in May, followed by a brilliant show of
bright scarlet berries in September.
The shoots are downy at first but become smooth and
greyish-brown. The spur shoots are stout and numerous, carrying dark brown
buds, set alternately and covered with whitish down. The leaves are arranged
alternately, compound-pinnate, with five to seven pairs of oval leaflets and a
terminal leaflet, each with a toothed margin. Their upper surface is deep
green; the lower is grey-green, they turn bright shades of red and carmine in
autumn.
The flat-topped inflorescence, a compound cyme, is comprised
of numerous small creamy-white bi-sexual flowers, which open in late May. These
are followed in July by green berries which during August and September turn
orange and then bright scarlet. They are usually round (occasionally somewhat
more barrel-shaped), and contain one or two small brown seeds. The berries have
high vitamin C content; though sour, they can be made into a tasty jelly.
