Scientific Name:
Sorbus aucuparia
Pronunciation:
SORE-bus awk-yoo-PAR-ee-uh
Common Name:
European mountain ash
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Plant Type:
Invasive plant, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Small deciduous tree 5-12(-15)m tall; bark with horizontal pattern; leaves pinnately compound, 12-23cm long, red rachis, (9-)13-15(-19) leaflets oblong-lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse, mostly serrated (up to 1/3 towards base may be entire), 2-4(-6)cm long, less than 3 times long as wide, mid- to dark dull green with grey-green undersides; florets >75 per flat-topped corymb 8-15cm wide, petals 4-5mm long, pediels with dense hairs; pomes 6-8(-12)mm long, yellow to red. Winter ID: buds large, up to 13mm long, densely covered with gray soft hairy (resemble pussy willows); fruit persistent, bright red-scarlet to orange pomes 9-11mm wide. [source: E-Flora BC, OSU, & Index of Garden Plants]
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
5 - 7m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate, Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Fall interest, Medicinal plant, Specimen plant, Tall background
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include S. 'Edulis', S. 'Joseph Rock', and S. 'Pendula'. Compare to American mountain ash, showy mountain ash, western mountain ash, and Sitka mountain ash (some of these may also be on campus).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Orange
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Oblong
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Double serrate, Serrate
Inflorescence Type:
Corymb, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Scent:
None, Musky
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Fruit Type:
Edible, Pome
Fruit Colour:
Orange, Red
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible, Persistent, bitter
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Prominent lenticels
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Stipule, leafy
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Scale insects
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
- CLT Training
Location(s):
- (BHE) Boulevard by Hwy. 10 Eastend
- (FSC) Far South Campus
- (QRR) Quercus Robur Row planting
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLS) Turf Field Lab South