Sorbus decora, commonly known as the northern mountain ash,[1] showy mountain-ash,[2] Greenland mountain-ash, and dogberry, is a species of deciduous shrub or very small tree native to northeastern North America.
| Sorbus decora | |
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| At the Akureyri Botanical Gardens | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Sorbus |
| Species: | S. decora
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| Binomial name | |
| Sorbus decora (Sarg.) C.K.Schneid.
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| Natural range includes southern tip of Greenland (not shown) | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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Description
editSorbus decora 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]
Distribution and habitat
editSorbus decora occurs throughout the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, the New England-Acadian forest region, the eastern Canadian boreal forests and Greenland. It cannot be found north of 62°15′N, which confines it the southern tip of Greenland, generally deeper up the western fjords, such as the Qinngua Valley.[4][5]
Similar species
editSorbus decora 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,[6] and its slightly larger flowers and fruit.[2] It is said to bloom a week earlier.[3]
Uses
editIt 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.
References
edit- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sorbus decora". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ a b Chayka, Katy (2016). "Sorbus decora (Showy Mountain-ash)". MinnesotaWildflowers.info.
- ^ a b 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). Vol. 9. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ The Greenland Mountain Birch Zone, Southwest Greenland. p. 4. ISBN 9788763512046.
- ^ Böcher, Tyge W. (2010). "Birch woodlands and tree growth in southern Greenland". Ecography. 2 (4): 218–221. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1979.tb01292.x.
- ^ Farrar, J.L. (1995). Trees in Canada. Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whitside/Canadian Forest Service.