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Sorbus aucuparia 'Asplenifolia'

(European Mountain Ash)

Overview

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A selection for more incised leaflets , this plant does not differ markedly from the species.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

European Mountain Ash, Rowan

Description

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Family Rosaceae

Trees , shrubs , or herbs, deciduous or evergreen . Stems erect , scandent , arching , prostrate , or creeping , armed or unarmed . Buds usually with several exposed scales , sometimes with only 2. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple or compound ; stipules paired , free or adnate to petiole , rarely absent, persistent or deciduous; petiole usually 2-glandular apically; leaf blade often serrate at margin , rarely entire. Inflorescences various, from single flowers to umbellate , corymbose , racemose or cymose-paniculate. Flowers usually actinomorphic , bisexual , rarely unisexual and then plants dioecious. Hypanthium (formed from basal parts of sepals, petals, and stamens) free from or adnate to ovary, short or elongate . Sepals usually 5, rarely fewer or more, imbricate; epicalyx segments sometimes also present. Petals as many as sepals, inserted below margin of disk, free, imbricate, sometimes absent. Disk lining hypanthium, usually entire, rarely lobed . Stamens usually numerous , rarely few, always in a complete ring at margin of or above disk; filaments usually free, very rarely connate ; anthers small, didymous , rarely elongate, 2-locular. Carpels 1 to many, free, or ± connate and then adnate to inner surface of cupular receptacle; ovary inferior, semi-inferior, or superior; ovules usually 2 in each carpel, rarely 1 or several, anatropous , superposed . Styles as many as carpels, terminal , lateral , or basal, free or sometimes connate. Fruit a follicle, pome, achene, or drupe, rarely a capsule, naked or enclosed in persistent hypanthium and sometimes also by sepals. Seeds erect or pendulous, sometimes winged , usually exalbuminous , very rarely with thin endosperm; cotyledons mostly fleshy and convex abaxially, rarely folded or convolute.

Between 95 and 125 genera and 2825-3500 species: cosmopolitan , mostly in N temperate zone; 55 genera (two endemic) and 950 species (546 endemic) in China.

Many plants of this family are of economic importance and contribute to people s livelihoods. The Rosaceae contain a great number of fruit trees of temperate regions . The fruits contain vitamins, acids, and sugars and can be used both raw and for making preserves, jam, jelly, candy, various drinks, wine, vinegar, etc. The dried fruits of the genera

Amygdalus and Armeniaca are of high commercial value. Some plants in the genus Rosa containing essential oils or with a high vitamin content are used in industry . Rosaceae wood is used for making various articles, stems and roots are used for making tannin extract, and young leaves are used as a substitute for tea. Numerous species are used for medical purposes or are cultivated as ornamentals .

The Rosaceae are very well represented in China, with great economic and scientific importance. The Co-chairs of the Editorial Committee (Wu and Raven) here note that the patterns of relationship are complex and the group is taxonomically difficult. [1]

Genus Sorbus

Trees or shrubs , usually deciduous. Winter buds usually rather large, ovoid , conical , or spindle-shaped , sometimes viscid ; scales imbricate, several, glabrous or pubescent . Leaves alternate, membranous or herbaceous; stipules caducous , simple or pinnately compound , plicate or rarely convolute in bud; leaf blade usually serrate, sometimes nearly entire, venation craspedodromous or camptodromous , glabrous or pubescent. Inflorescences compound , rarely simple corymbs or panicles. Hypanthium campanulate , rarely obconical or urceolate . Sepals 5, ovate or triangular, glabrous, pubescent, or tomentose , sometimes glandular along margin . Petals 5, glabrous or pubescent, base clawed or not. Stamens 15-25(-44) in 2 or 3 whorls, unequal in length ; anthers ovoid or subglobose. Carpels 2-5, partly or wholly adnate to hypanthium; ovary semi-inferior to inferior, 2-5-(-7) loculed, with 2 or 3(or 4) ovules per locule, one usually abortive ; styles 2-5, free or partially connate , glabrous or pubescent. Fruit a pome, white, yellow, pink, or brown to orange or red, ovoid or globose to ellipsoid or oblong , usually small, glabrous or pubescent, laevigate or with small lenticels , apically with sepals persistent or caducous leaving an annular scar , with 2-5(-7) locules, each with 1 or 2 exendospermous seeds; seeds several, with thin perisperm and endosperm enclosing embryo with compressed cotyledons.Trees or shrubs, usually deciduous. Winter buds usually rather large, ovoid, conical, or spindle-shaped, sometimes viscid; scales imbricate, several, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves alternate, membranous or herbaceous; stipules caducous, simple or pinnately compound, plicate or rarely convolute in bud; leaf blade usually serrate, sometimes nearly entire, venation craspedodromous or camptodromous, glabrous or pubescent. Inflorescences compound, rarely simple corymbs or panicles. Hypanthium campanulate, rarely obconical or urceolate. Sepals 5, ovate or triangular, glabrous, pubescent, or tomentose, sometimes glandular along margin. Petals 5, glabrous or pubescent, base clawed or not. Stamens 15-25(-44) in 2 or 3 whorls, unequal in length; anthers ovoid or subglobose. Carpels 2-5, partly or wholly adnate to hypanthium; ovary semi-inferior to inferior, 2-5-(-7) loculed, with 2 or 3(or 4) ovules per locule, one usually abortive; styles 2-5, free or partially connate, glabrous or pubescent. Fruit a pome, white, yellow, pink, or brown to orange or red, ovoid or globose to ellipsoid or oblong, usually small, glabrous or pubescent, laevigate or with small lenticels, apically with sepals persistent or caducous leaving an annular scar, with 2-5(-7) locules, each with 1 or 2 exendospermous seeds; seeds several, with thin perisperm and endosperm enclosing embryo with compressed cotyledons.

About 100 species: widely distributed throughout temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America; 67 species (43 endemic) in China.

Sorbus species are ornamental plants with attractive, large clusters of white flowers, and most bear colorful fruits. The fruits can be used for making jam, marmalade, various drinks, wine, vinegar, etc. The wood is hard, heavy, and fine-grained, suitable for making furniture or small, carved articles.[2]

Physical Description

ID Features: Very large terminal buds. Smooth bark. Short main trunk dividing into multiple trunks. Upright oval branching. Pinnately compound leaves. A dark band is beneath each leaf scar. White flowers in flat clusters. Orange red fruit in terminal clusters.

Habit: A small to medium-sized, ovate to rounded , deciduous tree . Branching is strongly upright and spreading . The main trunk is often short, becoming very multi-branched.

Flowers: Blooms in May. Rounded , flat-topped clusters . White color. Malodorous . Individual flowers only 0.33" across.. Relatively showy, but not spectacular. • Bloom Period: March, April, May. • Flower Color: near white, white

Seeds: Fruit: Small, orange-red fruits. 0.25" to 0.38" diameter. Born in terminal clusters that ripen in late August and September. Fruit is quite attractive. Birds like to eat the fruit.

Foliage: Summer foliage: Leaves are alternately arranged. Pinnately compound . 5" to 9" long. 9 to 15 leaflets is most common. Leaflets are .75" to 2.5" long with a pointed oval shape . Margins of leaflets are serrated toward the tips . Dark green above, frosty green below. • Fall foliage: Leaves change from green to yellow to orange to somewhat reddish. Can be showy or disappointing.

Size/Age/Growth

Size: over 40' tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Excellent for effect in fruit. Good performer in cold climates. As a smaller shade tree . Fruits attract birds. Specimen. • Liabilities: Stress predisposes the plant to disease and insect problems. Very susceptible to borers . Frequently develops fire blight . Other insect and disease pests include cankers , rusts, aphids, sawflies,. and scales . Often short-lived in the landscape.

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Prefers cool to cold climates best. Likes well-drained, loamy acidic soils. Avoid high pH soils. Avoid hot, dry locations. Avoid compacted soils and pollution . Full sun .

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Sorbus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 50 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

S. alnifolia (Korean Mountain Ash) · S. americana (American Mountain Ash) · S. aria (Chess-Apple) · S. aria 'Lutescens' (Whitebeam) · S. arnoldiana (Sorbus) · S. aucuparia (European Mountain Ash) · S. aucuparia x intermedia (European Mountain-Ash) · S. aucuparia 'Asplenifolia' (European Mountain Ash) · S. aucuparia 'Fastigiata' (European Mountain Ash) · S. aucuparia 'Michred' (Cardinal Royal Mountain Ash) · S. aucuparia 'Pendula' (European Mountain Ash) · S. austriaca (Austrian Mountain Ash) · S. californica (California Mountain Ash) · S. cashmiriana (Kashmir Rowan) · S. commixta (Japanese Mountain Ash) · S. decora (Northern Mountain Ash) · S. discolor (Chinese Scarlet Rowan) · S. domestica (Jerusalem Pear) · S. dumosa (Arizona Mountain Ash) · S. groenlandica (Greenland Mountain Ash) · S. hibernica (Irish Whitebeam) · S. hupehensis (Chinese Mountain Ash) · S. hupehensis coral (Coral Fire Mountain Ash) · S. hupehensis 'Coral Fire' (Chinese Mountain Ash) · S. hupehensis 'Pink Pagoda' (Chinese Mountain Ash) · S. hybrida (Oakleaf Mountain Ash) · S. intermedia (Swedish Whitebeam) · S. latifolia (French Hales) · S. leighensis (Leigh Woods Whitebeam) · S. leyana (Ley's Whitebeam) · S. pohuashanensis (Mountain Ash) · S. prattii (Mountain Ash) · S. pseudofennica (Arran Service Tree) · S. reducta (Chinese Dwarf Mountain Ash) · S. rehderiana (Mountain Ash) · S. rufoferruginea 'Longwood Sunset' (Mountain Ash) · S. sambucifolia (Siberian Mountain Ash) · S. scopulina (Cascade Mountain-Ash) · S. sitchensis (Sitka Mountain-Ash) · S. thuringiaca (Mountainash) · S. torminalis (Checkertree) · S. × avonensis (Avon Gorge Whitebeam) · S. × houstoniae (Houston's Whitebeam) · S. x kewensis (Mountain Ash) · S. × proctoris (Proctor's Rowan) · S. × robertsonii (Robertson's Whitebeam) · S. x thuringiaca (Oakleaf Mountain Ash) · S. x thuringiaca 'Fastigiata' (Oakleaf Mountain Ash) · S. 'Ghose' (Naga Mountain Ash) · S. 'Joseph Rock' (Joseph Rock Mountain Ash)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Cuizhi Gu, Chaoluan Li, Lingdi Lu, Shunyuan Jiang, Crinan Alexander, Bruce Bartholomew, Anthony R. Brach, David E. Boufford, Hiroshi Ikeda, Hideaki Ohba, Kenneth R. Robertson & Steven A. Spongberg "Rosaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 46. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Lu Ling-ti, Stephen A. Spongberg "Sorbus". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 144. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/21/2012