Sorbus sitchensis
Encyclopedia
Sorbus sitchensis, also known as Sitka Mountain-ash, is a small shrub
of the western United States.
of North America
, from Alaska
to northern California
and eastward to Idaho
and western Montana
.
The otherwise similar Sorbus scopulina
has yellow-green sharp-pointed leaflets that are sharply serrated over most of their length.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
of the western United States.
Description
A multistemmed shrub, it is indigenous to the Pacific CoastPacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and eastward to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and western Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
.
Sorbus scopulina
Sorbus scopulina is a species of rowan that is native to western North America, primarily in the Rocky Mountains. The common name of this species is often given as 'Greene mountain-ash', and is so named in honor of American botanist Edward Lee Greene...
has yellow-green sharp-pointed leaflets that are sharply serrated over most of their length.
- Winter buds: Not sticky with rusty hairs.
- Leaves: Alternate, compound, six to ten inches long, Leaflets seven to ten, blue-green, lanceolate or long oval, with rounded tip, toothed usually from the middle to the end. In autumn they turn yellow, orange and red. Stipules leaf-like, caducous.
- Flowers: After the leaves are fully grown. White, small, 80 or fewer, borne in flat compound cymes three or four inches across.
- Fruit: Berry-like pome, globular, one-quarter of an inch across, bright pinkish red, borne in cymous clusters.