Sorbus fruticosa

Rosaceae

Sorbus fruticosa

Habitat: Sun or part shade Flowering: summer, fruit in autumn Height: 1.5 m Width: 3.0 m Soil: any good garden soil

The mountain ash. These are small, graceful trees or shrubs with attractive foliage, which is usually pinnate, toothed or lobed and provides good autumn colour. In spring or early summer they produce dense corymbs of frothy white or pinkish flowers, which are followed by fruit varying in colour depending on the species.

		Sorbus glabriuscula was once described as the white-berried form of Sorbus hupehensis. It is an excellent small tree for a small (or large) garden. It has rather broader, more rounded leaflets than most other rowans, and with an unusual slightly greyish green colour. It has large clusters of small fruit, which normally remain long after the leaves have fallen. This takes a long time, as they change from green to yellow to orange, and in a good year to red as well.
		Sorbus gonggashanica is a Chinese species, named after Gongga Shan, also known as Minya Konka, the highest peak in China other than Tibet (Xizang). There are typically nine or ten pairs of leaflets on each leaf, deep green, turning red in autumn. The fruit are white, contrasting well with the autumn foliage.
		Sorbus hughmcallisteri CLD310 was originally collected by a joint Chinese-British expedition, and was given the name Sorbus apiculata. That was subsequently found to be invalid (the name had already been used for something else), so it was renamed after Hugh McAllister (McAllisteri had also already been used), the expert on rowans, and author of the book on the subject. It is a fine species, at its best in the autumn, when the white fruit gleam against the bright red foliage.
		Sorbus koehniana this Chinese species has been described as a medium size shrub and as a small tree. Either way, it is very beautiful, with twenty or thirty small leaflets on each leaf and clusters of white fruit, so heavy that their branches arch gracefully downwards.
		Sorbus monbeigii came from a CLD collection (310) from China. It has leaves with about eight pairs of leaflets, which turn orange or fiery red in autumn. At the same time the fruit of our parent tree are white, although others have pink fruit. But - in the Flora of China this species is said to have red-orange fruit. So what is it? We are not sure, but we do know that it looks good.
		Sorbus aff. ovalis H1948 is possibly this, but may be a new species. Either way it has white fruit and excellent coloured foliage in autumn, so is well worth growing.
		Sorbus prattii is a Chinese rowan bearing small corymbs of white flowers in late spring followed by green berries that ripen to white.
		Sorbus pseudovilmorinii ex CLD1437 is a small tree that was introduced in the 1990s, and some of them had white fruit, and some pink. These are offspring from white-fruited parents, and are very likely to have white fruit themselves. All of them had wonderful red foliage in autumn, against which the white fruit stand out brilliantly.
		Sorbus randaiensis is a handsome small tree, which comes from Taiwan. It is related to Sorbus commixta, and has erect branches, and leaves with 15 to 19 leaflets. The flowers are pure white, and the fruit, which remain until winter, are bright orange-red.
		Sorbus reducta is dwarf enough to be accommodated in a rock garden. It forms a neat little shrub with just a few stems, typical rowan flowers, and berries that start red, but change to pink as they ripen.
		Sorbus rehderiana SDR4536 has quite glossy deep green leaves with about 8 pairs of leaflets, turning bright red in autumn. At that time the fruit, which are usually produced in abundance, change from red to rich pink, and in some specimens then become paler, even white. A group of them makes a wonderful sight; a mountain side of them is even better!
		Sorbus rosea SEP492 is a newly described species, which is a shrub, about as wide as it is high, but what makes it stand out as a really excellent plant is the fruit, which are large, as big as those of Sorbus cashmiriana, but rich, rosy pink. Once it becomes more widely available, it may become one of the most loved species in this genus.
		Sorbus vilmorinii is one of the best small trees for the garden. It has lovely leaves, with many small leaflets, but it is Autumn that it is really wonderful. The fruit start off being red, but then they change to pink. At the same time, or in some years a little later, the leaves change to brilliant red. It is difficult to believe that it is the same tree.