Sorbus decora

Sorbus decora, commonly known as the northern mountain ash,[1] showy mountain-ash,[2] or dogberry, is a deciduous shrub or very small tree native to northeastern North America. It occurs throughout the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, the New England-Acadian forest region, and the eastern Canadian boreal forests.

Sorbus decora
At the Akureyri Botanical Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Sorbus
Subgenus: Sorbus subg. Sorbus
Species:
S. decora
Binomial name
Sorbus decora
Natural range

Description

Showy mountain-ash grows 4–10 metres (13–33 ft) tall. Its leaves are odd-pinnately compound, with 11–17 leaflets. Each leaflet is 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 1–2.5 cm (3⁄8–1 in) wide. All parts are hairless to slightly hairy. Flowers are borne in 125- to more than 400-flowered panicles 6–25 cm (2 1⁄4–9 3⁄4 in) across. Each flower is 5–7.5 mm (1⁄4–1⁄4 in) across and has five white petals 2.5–3.5 mm (3⁄32–1⁄8 in) long, 14–20 stamens, and carpels with 3–4 styles. The fruits (pomes) are bright red to orange-red and 4–7 mm (5⁄32–9⁄32 in) across.[3]

Similar species

Showy mountain-ash is very similar to the closely related American mountain-ash (Sorbus americana). Like the American mountain-ash, the showy mountain-ash has odd-pinnately compound leaves and often large clusters of flowers and fruits. Showy mountain-ash can be distinguished by its shiny, sticky buds,[4] and its slightly larger flowers and fruit.[2] It is said to bloom a week earlier.[3]

Uses

It is often cultivated as an ornamental plant for its cold-hardiness, its attractive flowers, and its large clusters of small red berry-like pomes.

The fruits are an important source of food for wildlife, particularly birds in the winter and early spring.

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References
  1. "Sorbus decora". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. Chayka, Katy (2016). "Sorbus decora (Showy Mountain-ash)". MinnesotaWildflowers.info.
  3. Zika, Peter F.; Bailleul, Stéphane M. (2014). "Sorbus decora". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). 9. New York and Oxford – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. Farrar, J.L. (1995). Trees in Canada. Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whitside/Canadian Forest Service.
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