Sorbus scopulina Rosaceae
Greene Mountain Ash, Western Mountain Ash
- Deciduous shrub, to 15 ft (4.5 m) tall, rarely a small tree (most commonly in southeastern Alaska), forms dense thickets; bark, gray or reddish, smooth. Leaves alternate, pinnately compound, 10-23 cm long, 9-15 leaflets, lanceolate, each 3-6 cm long, rounded base, apex acute, margin serrate for almost the entire length, shiny dark green above, slightly paler below. Flowers 10 mm wide, 5 rounded white petals, 15 to 20 stamens, 3 to 4 styles, many flowers (70-200) in flat topped clusters (corymbs), fragrant. Fruit about 10 mm in diam., glossy orange-red, bitter, persist into winter, providing food for birds and mammals.
- Sun or light shade. Insect and/or disease prone, especially when stressed.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 2 Native range from southern Alaska to northern California, mainly in the east Cascades, east to the Dakotas, and south to Utah and New Mexico.
- scopulina: of the rocks or cliffs. Common name: Greene Mountain Ash, honors Edward L. Greene (1843-1915), the U.S. botanist who prepared the description of the plant.