''Sorbus hupehensis'' (Hupeh rowan or Hubei rowan; ) is a 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 ...

native to central and western China (between

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

and Gansu in the west,

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

in the south,

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into h ...

in the southeast, and Shandong in the east). It is a small

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, a ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing to 5–10 m tall, with grey-brown to purplish-brown bark. The branches and shoots are slender. The leaves are green above, paler beneath, 10–15 cm long,

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 ...

with 7-17 narrow oval leaflets 3–5 cm long and 1–1.8 cm broad, with an acute apex, and serrated margins. They change to orange or red in autumn. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are 5–7 mm diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficia ...

s 6–10 cm diameter in late spring to early summer. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

is a

pome In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince. Etymology The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, an ...

5–8 mm diameter, bright pink with persistent sepals, maturing in late autumn. There are two varieties: *''Sorbus hupehensis'' var. ''hupehensis''. Leaves with 9-17 narrow leaflets. Most of the species' range. *''Sorbus hupehensis'' var. ''paucijuga'' (D.K.Zang & P.C.Huang) L.T.Lu. Leaves with 7-9 broad leaflets. Shandong Province.

Cultivation and uses

It is grown as an

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

, valued for its white fruit contrasting with the orange autumn colour. In cultivation, it has often been confused with the related ''

Sorbus glabrescens ''Sorbus glabrescens'' (white-fruited rowan) is a species of rowan native to Yunnan in China.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins . It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 8–15 m tall with a rounded cr ...

'' (white-fruited rowan) and '' Sorbus oligodonta'' (kite-leaf rowan) from southwestern China. The former differs in being a larger tree (to 15 m) with stouter shoots and larger leaves, the latter in having pale pink fruit; both are tetraploid

apomictic In botany, apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". This definition notably does not mention meiosis. Thus "normal asexual reproduction" of plants, such as propagation from cutt ...

species which breed true. The cultivar 'Pink Pagoda', often cited as belonging to ''S. hupehensis'', is of ''S. oligodonta''.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1037219 hupehensis Endemic flora of China Trees of China