Sorbus aucuparia; Rowan/Mountain ash

  Rowan or mountain-ash, is a species of deciduous tree or shrub that grows up to 15 m in height. The crown is loose and roundish or irregularly shaped but wide and the plant often grows multiple trunks. Succeeds in most reasonably good soils in an open sunny position. It also tolerates heavy clay soils and some shade and also atmospheric pollution.

I found this young Mountain Ash in Longford Park.

It is located near the boundary of an old golf course. It is enjoying a lot of sunlight in good sunny days. The soil is very wet because of the recent rainfalls. There are some more small Mountain Ash trees around it and a group of Pines.

The bark of a young tree is yellowish-gray and gleaming and becomes gray-black with lengthwise cracks in advanced age.

The compound leaves are pinnate with 4 to 9 pairs of leaflets on either side of a terete central vein and with a terminal leaflet. They are up to 20 cm long and arranged in an alternate leaf pattern on a branch.

Mountain Ash is monoecious. It reaches maturity at age 10 and carries ample fruit almost every year. The plant flowers from May to June in many yellowish white corymbs that contain about 250 flowers.


Its fruit are round pomes between 8 and 10 mm in diameter, grow in clusters and persist after the leaves are fallen.