| 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 |
| Binomial name | |
| Sorbus decora (Sarg.) C.K.Schneid. | |
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| Natural range includes southern tip of Greenland (not shown) | |
| Synonyms | |
List
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Sorbus decora, commonly known as the northern mountain ash, showy mountain-ash, Greenland mountain-ash, and dogberry, is a species of deciduous shrub or very small tree native to northeastern North America.
Description
Sorbus 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.
Distribution and habitat
Sorbus 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.
Similar species
Sorbus 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, and its slightly larger flowers and fruit. It is said to bloom a week earlier.
Uses
It 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
- NRCS. "Sorbus decora". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ Chayka, Katy (2016). "Sorbus decora (Showy Mountain-ash)". MinnesotaWildflowers.info.
- ^ 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.
External links
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Sorbus decora |
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| Sorbus groenlandica |
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| Pyrus americana var. decora | |