European Mountain Ash
European Mountain Ash
Sorbus aucuparia
Plantae
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
80-150 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Temperate forest
Range
Europe and western Asia
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Toxins
Status
Common

About

The rowan tree erupts each autumn in dense clusters of fiery orange-red berries that are magnets for thrushes and waxwings stripping whole branches bare in a single winter morning. It thrives at elevations where few other trees survive, making it one of the hardiest broadleaves in Europe.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    seed
    A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
  2. 2.
    sprout
    A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
  3. 3.
    sapling
    A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
  4. 4.
    mature
    Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Rosales
Family
Rosaceae
Genus
Sorbus
Species
Sorbus aucuparia