''Sorbus aucuparia'', commonly called rowan (UK: /ˈrəʊən/, US: /ˈroʊən/) and mountain-ash, is a species of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

tree or shrub in the rose family. It is a highly variable species, and botanists have used different definitions of the species to include or exclude trees native to certain areas; a recent definition includes trees native to most of Europe and parts of Asia, as well as northern Africa. The range extends from

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, the British Isles and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and northern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. Unlike many plants with similar distributions, it is not native to Japan. The tree has a slender trunk with smooth bark, a loose and roundish crown, and its leaves are

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, an ...

in pairs of leaflets on a central vein with a terminal leaflet. It blossoms from May to June in dense corymbs of small yellowish white flowers and develops small red pomes as fruit that ripen from August to October and are eaten by many bird species. The plant is undemanding and frost hardy and colonizes disrupted and inaccessible places as a short-lived pioneer species. The fruit and foliage have been used in the creation of dishes and beverages, as a folk medicine, and as fodder for livestock. Its tough and flexible wood has traditionally been used for woodworking. It is planted to fortify soil in mountain regions or as an ornamental tree and has several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

Description

''Sorbus aucuparia'' occurs as a tree or shrub that grows up to between in height.Schauer 2001, p. 342 The crown is loose and roundish or irregularly shaped but wide and the plant often grows multiple trunks.Zauner 2000, p. 52Harz 2009, p. 72 A trunk is slender and cylindrical and reaches up to in diameter, and the branches stick out and are slanted upwards.Erlbeck, Haseder, Stinglwagner 1998, p. 166 The bark of a young plant is yellowish gray and gleaming and becomes gray-black with lengthwise cracks in advanced age; it descales in small flakes.Godet 1994, p. 52 Lenticels in the bark are elongated and colored a bright ocher.Godet 2008, p. 110 The plant does not often grow older than 80 years and is one of the shortest-lived trees in temperate climate.Laudert 1999, p. 57 The wood has a wide reddish white sapwood and a light brown to reddish brown heartwood. It is diffuse-porous, flexible, elastic, and tough, but not durable, with a density of in a dried state. The roots grow wide and deep, and the plant is capable of root sprouting and can regenerate after coppicing. The compound leaves are

with 4 to 9 pairs of leaflets on either side of a terete central vein and with a terminal leaflet. There are paired leaf-like stipules at the base of the petiole. The leaves are up to long, wide, and arranged in an alternate leaf pattern on a branch, distinguishing them from those of ash, '' Fraxinus excelsior'', which are opposite and without stipules. The leaflets are elongated-lanceolate in shape, long, and wide with a sharply serrated edge, and have short stems or sit close to the central vein except for the outermost leaflet.Godet 1994, p. 138 Leaflets are covered in gray-silvery hairs after sprouting but become mostly bare after they unfold.Reichholf, Steinbach 1992, p. 103 Their upper side is dark green and their underside is a grayish green and felted. Young leaflets smell like marzipan when brayed.Hecker 1995, p. 130 The leaflets are asymmetrical at the bottom. The foliage grows in May and turns yellow in autumn or a dark red in dry locations.Smolik 1996, p. 63 The buds are often longer than and have flossy to felted hairs. These hairs, which disappear over time, cover dark brown to black bud scales. The terminal buds are oval and pointed and larger than axillary buds, which are narrow, oval and pointed, close to the twig, and often curved towards it. The species is monoecious. It reaches maturity at age 10 and carries ample fruit almost every year. The plant flowers from May to June (on occasion again in September) in many yellowish white corymbs that contain about 250 flowers.Kremer 2010, p. 42Raspé, Findlay, Jacquemart 2000, p. 910 The corymbs are large, upright, and bulging.Godet 1998, p. 68 The flowers are between in diameter and have five small, yellowish green, and triangular

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s that are covered in hairs or bare. The five round or oval petals are yellowish white and the flower has up to 25

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...

s fused with the

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name *Corolla (headgear) A ''corolla'' is an ancient headdress in the form of a small circlet or crown.hypanthium In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...

and an ovary with two to five styles; the style is fused with the receptacle. The flowers have an unpleasant trimethylamine smell. Their nectar is high in fructose and glucose. Its berry are round pomes between in diameter that ripen from August to October. The fruit are green before they ripen and then typically turn to orange or scarlet in color. The sepals persist as a black, five-pointed star on the ripe fruit.Erlbeck, Haseder, Stinglwagner 1998, p. 167 A corymb carries 80 to 100 pomes.Garcke 1972, p. 722 A pome contains a star-shaped ovary with two to five locules each containing one or two flat, narrow, and pointed reddish seeds. The flesh of the fruit contains carotenoids,

citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in ...

, malic acid,

parasorbic acid Parasorbic acid is the cyclic lactone of sorbic acid. Thermal treatment or hydrolysis converts the lactone to sorbic acid. Toxicity Parasorbic acid is toxic and causes indigestion and nausea, however cooking and exposure to moisture convert i ...

, pectin, provitamin A, sorbitol, tannin, and vitamin C. The seeds contain

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

.Hensel 2007, p. 112 The species has a chromosome number of 2''n''=34.Raspé, Findlay, Jacquemart 2000, p. 916

Taxonomy

Fossil record

Fossils of ''Sorbus aucuparia'' have been described from the fossil flora of Kızılcahamam district in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, which is of early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58binomial name ''Sorbus aucuparia'' is composed of the Latin words ''sorbus'' for service tree and ''aucuparia'', which derives from the words ''avis'' for "bird" and ''capere'' for "catching" and describes the use of the fruit of ''S. aucuparia'' as bait for fowling. The plant is commonly known as rowan and mountain-ash, and has also been called Amur mountain-ash, European mountain-ash, quick beam, quickbeam, or rowan-berry. The names rowan and mountain ash may be applied to other species in ''Sorbus'' subgenus ''Sorbus'', and mountain ash may be used for several other distantly related trees. The species is not closely related to either the true ash trees (genus '' Fraxinus''), which also carry

leaves, or the species '' Eucalyptus regnans'', also called mountain ash, native to Tasmania and Victoria in southeastern Australia.Breckwoldt 2011, p. 152 The common name mountain ash dates from the 16th century. It was first used by

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, c. 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular gar ...

in 1597, translating it directly from the then botanists' Latin ''Montana fraxinus'' ''S. aucuparia'' was previously categorized as ''Pyrus aucuparia''.Hora 1993, p. 184 ''Sorbus aucuparia'' L. belongs to

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

Distribution and habitat

''Sorbus aucuparia'' is found in five subspecies:Raspé, Findlay, Jacquemart 2000, p. 911 *''Sorbus aucuparia'' subsp. ''aucuparia'': found in most of the species' range, less in the South *''Sorbus aucuparia'' subsp. ''fenenkiana'' (Georgiev & Stoj.): has thin, sparsely hairy leaflets and depressed-globose fruit, restricted to Bulgaria *''Sorbus aucuparia'' subsp. ''glabrata'' ( Wimm. & Grab.): less hairy, found in Northern Europe and Central European mountains *''Sorbus aucuparia'' subsp. ''praemorsa'' ( Guss.): has hairy leaflets and ovoid fruit, found in Southern Italy, Sicily, and Corsica *''Sorbus aucuparia'' subsp. ''sibirica'' (Hedl.): nearly hairless, found in North Eastern Russia It can be found in almost all of Europe and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

up to Northern Russia and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...

, but it is not native to Southern Spain, Southern Greece, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

.Větvička 1995, p. 200 The species was introduced as an ornamental species in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. It is widespread from plains to mountains up to the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

where it grows as the only deciduous tree species among krummholz. In the Alps it grows at elevations of up to . ''S. aucuparia'' appears north of the

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruc ...

at the arctic tree line; in Norway, it is found up to the

71st parallel north The 71st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 71 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America, and passes through some of the southern seas of the Arctic ...

. It has naturalized in America from Washington to Alaska and eastward in Canada and the northeast of the US very successfully. ''S. aucuparia'' is an undemanding species and can withstand shade. It is frost hardy and can tolerate winter dryness and a brief growing season.Raspé, Findlay, Jacquemart 2000, p. 915 The plant is also resistant to air pollution, wind, and snow pressure.Laudert 1999, p. 80Laudert 1999, p. 83 It mostly grows on soil that is moderately dry to moderately damp, acidic, low on nutrients, sandy, and loose.Godet 2008, p. 378 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.Aichele, Golte-Bechtle 1997, p. 78 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. The seeds germinate easily, so the plant may appear on inaccessible rock, ruins, branch forks, or on hollow trees. The tallest ''S. aucuparia'' in the United Kingdom stands in the

Chiltern Hills The Chiltern Hills is a chalk escarpment in England. The area, northwest of London, covers stretching from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast - across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshi ...

in South East England. This exceptional specimen is tall and has a trunk diameter of . In Germany, an unusually large specimen is located near Wendisch Waren, a village in

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

. This tree stands at more than tall, is around 100 years old, and has a diameter of .Ullrich, Kühn, Kühn 2009, p. 29 The tallest known specimen in Ireland is an tall specimen at Glenstal Abbey, County Limerick.

Ecology

The species is pollinated by bees and flies. Its seeds are not digested by birds and are thus propagated by being passed intact in their droppings.Lohmann 2005, p. 60 The fruit are eaten by about 60 bird species and several mammals.Laudert 1999, p. 81 They are liked particularly by thrushes and other songbirds, and are also eaten by cloven-hoofed game, red fox, European badger, dormouse, and squirrel. The fruit are eaten by migratory birds in winter, including Bohemian waxwing, spotted nutcracker, and redwing. Cloven-hoofed game also excessively browse foliage and bark. The plant roots can be found in symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal and less commonly with ectomycorrhizal fungi. It is usually later superseded by larger forest trees.Lohmann 2005, p. 61 In Central Europe it often grows in association with red elderberry, goat willow,

Eurasian aspen ''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of Europe and Asia, from Iceland and the British IslesJames KilkellIrish native ...

, and

silver birch ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

. The plant is highly flammable and tends not to accumulate

plant litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constitue ...

.Raspé, Findlay, Jacquemart 2000, p. 913 Other species of the genus ''Sorbus'' easily hybridize with ''S. aucuparia'' and hybrid speciation can result; hybrids include '' Sorbus × hybrida'', a small tree with oval serrated leaves and 2 to 3 pairs of leaflets, which is a hybrid with '' Sorbus × intermedia'', and ''S. thuringiaca'', a medium-size tree with elongated leaves and 1 to 3 pairs of leaflets that are sometimes fused at the central vein, which is a hybrid with '' S. aria''.Hora 1993, p. 185–186 The main pests for ''S. aucuparia'' are the apple fruit moth '' Argyresthia conjugella'' and the mountain-ash sawfly '' Hoplocampa alpina''.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 43Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 44 The rust fungus ''

Gymnosporangium cornutum ''Gymnosporangium'' is a genus of heteroecious plant-pathogenic fungi which alternately infect members of the family Cupressaceae, primarily species in the genus ''Juniperus'' (junipers), and members of the family Rosaceae in the subfamily Amygd ...

'' produces leaf galls. The leaves are not palatable to insects, but are used by insect larvae, including by the moth '' Venusia cambrica'', the case-bearer moth ''

Coleophora anatipennella ''Coleophora anatipennella'' is a moth of the case-bearer family (Coleophoridae). Taxonomy It was described by Jacob Hübner in 1796. It is the type species of its genus (''Coleophora'') and, via that, of its family. It is not completely und ...

'', and

leaf miner A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths ( Lepidoptera), sawflies ( Symphyta, the mother clade of wasp ...

s of the genus ''Stigmella''. The snail '' Cornu aspersum'' feeds on the leaves. The plant can suffer from fire blight.Flint 1997, p. 641

Usage

Culinary

The fruit of ''S. aucuparia'' were used in the past to lure and catch birds. To humans, the fruit are bitter, astringent, laxative, diuretic and a cholagogue. They have vitamin C, so they prevent

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease, disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, ch ...

, but the

irritates the gastric mucosa. Pharmacist Mannfried Pahlow wrote that he doubted the toxicity of the fruit but advised against consuming large amounts.Pahlow 1993, p. 106 The fruit contain sorbitol, which can be used as a sugar substitute by diabetics, but its production is no longer relevant.Laudert 1999, p. 84 ''Sorbus aucuparia'' fruits have been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally (as tea, syrup, jelly or liqueur) for treatment of disorders of the respiratory tract, fever, infections, colds, flu, rheumatism and gout. Fresh fruit are usually not tasty, but they can be debittered and made into compote, jelly, jam, a tangy syrup, a tart chutney, or juice, as well as wine and liqueur, or used for tea or to make flour.Henschel 2002, p. 220Dreyer 2009, p. 108 Fruit are served as a side dish to lamb or game. Debittering can be accomplished by freezing, cooking, or drying, which degrades the

. The fruit are red colored in August but usually only harvested in October after the first frost by cutting the corymbs.Breckwoldt 2011, p. 153Pahlow 1993, p. 105 The robust qualities of ''S. aucuparia'' make it a source for fruit in harsh mountain climate and Maria Theresa, ruler of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

, recommended the planting of the species in 1779. Sorbus aucuparia fruit comparison

A more palatable variety, named ''Sorbus aucuparia'' var. ''dulcis'' Kraetzl, or var. ''edulis'' Dieck, or var. ''moravica'' Dippel, was first discovered in 1810 near Ostružná in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range of Northern

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

and became widespread in Germany and Austria the early 20th century.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 37Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 38 Its leaves are larger and pointed, only the front part of the leaflets is serrated, and they have darker bark, larger buds and larger fruit.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 40 Similar non-bitter varieties found in Southern Russia were first introduced in Central Europe in 1900 as 'Rossica' and 'Rossica Major', which has large fruit up to in diameter.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 41 Two widespread cultivars of the Moravian variety are 'Konzentra' and 'Rosina', which were selected beginning in 1946 by the Institut für Gartenbau Dresden-Pillnitz, an agricultural research institute in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

, from 75 specimens found mostly in the Ore Mountains, and made available in 1954. Fruit of the more widely used 'Konzentra' are small to medium-sized, mildly aromatic and tart, easier to transport because of their thicker peel, and used for juicing, while fruit of 'Rosina' are larger, sweet and tart, and aromatic, and candied or used in compote.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 276Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 277 The two cultivars are self-pollinating, yield fruit early, and the sugar content increases while the acid content decreases as the fruit ripen.Fischer 1995, p. 213 'Beissneri' is a cultivar with reddish foliage and bark and serrated leaves. Other edible varieties originate in and are named after Klosterneuburg,

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

. Russian botanist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin began in 1905 to crossbreed common ''S. aucuparia'' with other species to create fruit trees. His experiments resulted in the cultivars 'Burka', 'Likjornaja', 'Dessertnaja', 'Granatnaja', 'Rubinovaja', and 'Titan'. Other ''S. aucuparia'' hybrids planted in Western Europe beginning in the 1980s include 'Apricot Queen', 'Brilliant Yellow', 'Chamois Glow', 'Pink Queen', and 'Salmon Queen'.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 42 The leaves were fermented with leaves of

sweet gale ''Myrica gale'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae, native to parts of Japan, North Korea, Russia, mainland Europe, the British Isles and parts of northern North America, in Canada and the United States. Common names include ...

and oak bark to create herb beer. Fruits are eaten as a mash in small amounts against lack of appetite or an upset stomach and stimulate production of gastric acid. In folk medicine they are used as a laxative, against rheumatism and kidney disease, and as a gargled juice against hoarseness.

Timber

Freshly cross cut Sorbus aucuparia with heart-wood

Freshly rip cut Sorbus aucuparia from the island of Engeloeya in Norway

The wood is used for cartwright's work, turner's work, and woodcarving. Wood can be used from trees as young as 20 years. The sapwood is golden and white, while the heart-wood is brown. In almost treeless regions it is used as firewood. The leaves are sometimes used as fodder for livestock while the fruit are used against

erysipeloid In humans, ''Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae'' infections most commonly present in a mild cutaneous form known as erysipeloid or fish poisoning. ''E. rhusiopathiae'' can cause an indolent cellulitis, more commonly in individuals who handle fish and ...

infections in domestic pigs and goats. Bark of the plant was used to dye wool brown or red. Honey from the flowers is strongly aromatic and has a reddish color.Friedrich, Schuricht 1989, p. 45 The species is planted in mountain ranges to fortify landslides and avalanche zones.

Ornamental

It is also used as an ornamental plant in parks, gardens, or as an avenue tree. Ornamental cultivars include 'Asplenifolia', which has divided and sharply serrated leaflets, 'Blackhawk', which has large fruit and dark green foliage, 'Fastigiata', which has an upright columnar form, 'Fructu Luteo', which has orange yellow fruit, 'Michred', which has brilliant red fruit, 'Pendula', which is a

weeping tree Weeping trees are trees characterized by soft, limp twigs. This characterization may lead to a bent crown and pendulous branches that can cascade to the ground. While weepyness occurs in nature, most weeping trees are cultivars. Because of their ...

, and 'Xanthocarpa', which has orange yellow fruit.''Enzyklopädie der Garten- und Zimmerpflanzen'' 1994, p. 572Paul, Rees 1990, p. 141 ‘Sheerwater Seedling', an upright and slender cultivar, and 'Wisley Gold' with yellow fruits, have received the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. Cultivars are vegetatively propagated via cuttings, grafting, or shield budding.

Culture

In the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been ...

'', the Norse god

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

saves himself from a rapid river created by the giantess Gjálp by grabbing hold of a rowan, which became known as "Thor's protection". In English folklore, twigs of ''S. aucuparia'' were believed to ward off evil spirits and witches. The plant was called "the witch" in England and dowsing rods to find ores were made out of its wood. Twigs were used to drive cattle to the pasture for the first time in spring to ensure their health and fertility.Scherf 2006, p. 58. The wooden shafts of forks and other farm implements were constructed from the species to protect farm animals and production from witches' spells. In weather lore, a year with plentiful rowan fruit would have a good grain harvest but be followed by a severe winter. In Scottish folklore, boughs of rowan were traditionally taken into cattle byres in May to protect livestock from evil, and rowan trees were planted in pastures for similar purposes. ''S. aucuparia'' is used in the coats of arms of the German municipalities Ebernhahn, Eschenrode, and Hermsdorf, and of the Vysočina Region of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Rowan is part of the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and the logo of both

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

and

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

''Sorbus aucuparia''
- information, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) {{Authority control Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Flora of Ukraine Flora of Iceland Flora of the Alps Flora of the Pyrenees aucuparia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus