Trees of Reed: Mountain Ashes

Mountain Ashes


	Genus: Sorbus Family: Rosaceae

These trees are easy to recognize by their bunches of bright orange or red berries. The fruit is inedible to humans but tasty to birds. The common name is sometimes written with a hyphen to distinguish this tree from the true ashes in the genus Fraxinus.

Sorbus sp.
Mountain Ash

Sorbus is a common tree in Portland and it provides food for many species of birds when the berries ripen in late summer. In many places it springs up on its own after birds distribute the seeds.

Maps: 26

Sorbus x thuringiaca
Hybrid Mountain Ash

This hybrid is a cross between the European Whitebeam and the European Mountain Ash. The leaves are usually lobed and they narrow to a distinctive point at the tip. The fruits are smaller and a darker red than the Mountain Ash.

Maps: 31