Showy mountain ash, Northern Mountain-ash
Pyrus decora

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows up to 15 m tall. The trunk is 15 cm across. The trunk is straight. It has a short rounded crown. The leaves are alternate and compound. There are 13-17 leaflets on a central stalk. The stalk is about 20 cm long. The leaflets are narrow and oval. They are 3-8 cm long. They have fine teeth from the middle to the tip. The upper surface is blue-green and they are paler underneath. They are slightly hairy when young. The flowers are on short, stout hairy stalks. The petals are round. They are 4-5 mm long. The occur in dense clusters with many flowers. The fruit are shiny and red. They are 8-10 mm across. They occur in many fruited round clusters. The fruit are bitter.

There are about 75 Sorbus species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows on the rocky banks of rivers and lakes. It suits hardiness zones 2-8.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, North America, USA

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit, spice

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Pyrus americana var. decora Sarg.; Sorbus americana var. decora (Sarg.) Sarg.; Sorbus decora (Sarg.) C. K. Schneid.; Sorbus sambucifolia sensu Dippel; Sorbus scopulina sensu Hough;