''Sorbus californica'', the California mountain ash, is an aggregate species of

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

s. It forms a tree or bush with compound leaves (many leaflets) that are toothed almost from base to apex. It produces orange-red fruit. It is often confused with the western North American species '' S. sitchensis'', which has leaflets with few teeth and pinkish fruit. The species is native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It is found in the mountains of California as the name suggests, but is not an ash. It is sometimes cultivated. Image:Sorbus_fruit_comparison.jpg, ''S. californica'' fruits (left) are apple-shaped while those of ''S. aucuparia'' (right) are conical at the stem end. Image:Sorbus_californica_leaf.jpg, The individual leaflets are toothed almost from base to apex.

References

californica {{sorbus-stub