Sorbus americana Marshall

Mountain ash, American mountain ash

About plant names...

The American mountain-ash is a native of eastern North America. American mountain-ash is so named because it is often found in mountain locations—all these photos are from the mountains. They are also quite popular as landscape trees.

Plants: Trees reach 10-30' (3-9.1 m) in height and trunks are about 4-10" (10-25 cm) in diameter. Bark is light gray and smooth.

Leaves: Leaves occur in groups 13-17" (33-43 cm) long. Individual leaflets in each group are about 2-3" (5-7.6 cm) long and ⅝-1" (1.6-2.5 cm) wide.

Flowers: Tiny white flowers, each ⅛" (3.2 mm) around, occur in large groups.

Fruits: Flowers become thick clusters of bright orange-red berries, ⅛-¼" (3.2-6.3 mm) around.

Edibility: Raw mountain ash berries aren’t good for you, but they can be cooked into a beautiful jelly that is traditionally served with lamb, venison, or pork. The recipe is described in Backyard Foraging.

Online References:

Sorbus americana on Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

Sorbus americana on www.carolinanature.com

Sorbus americana on CirrusImage.com

Sorbus americana on Wikipedia

Sorbus americana at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Sorbus americana at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Sorbus americana on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Sorbus americana on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

References:

Sibley, David Allen, The Sibley Guide to Trees, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, p. 290

Zachos, Ellen, Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat, Storey Publishing, 2013, p. 104, 213

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 25 cm)

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

6/10/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
≈ 26 × 20" (65 × 49 cm)

10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 14 × 21" (34 × 52 cm)

10/5/2014 · Mt. Killington, Killington, Ver­mont
≈ 31 × 21" (79 × 52 cm)

8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 22 × 16" (56 × 39 cm)

I was baffled at first by these strange red branchlets. · 10/5/2014 · Mt. Killington, Killington, Ver­mont
≈ 4 × 2½' (1.3 × 0.8 m)

9/28/2013 · Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm)

10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 23 cm)

Sorbus americana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 24 × 16" (62 × 41 cm)

8/25/2004 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

8/4/2006 · Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, Ver­mont ID is uncertain

Young leaves are shiny. · 9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 8 × 9" (21 × 23 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 19 × 14" (48 × 34 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire

10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, New Hamp­shire
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 29 × 24" (72 × 60 cm)

Unripe berries. · 8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

9/28/2013 · Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

Range:

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