Sorbus aucuparia
Rosaceae tribe Maleae
European mountain-ash, rowan, rowan-berry, sorbier des oiseaux, sorbier des oiseleurs
1–3(or 4);
bark gray to bronze;
winter buds purple, ovoid to ovoid-conic, 5–15 mm, dull, not glutinous, usually densely villous, hairs whitish, rarely rufous, outer scales sometimes merely ciliate.
pinnately compound;
stipules deciduous or persistent, whitish-villous or glabrate;
blade paler or often whitish abaxially, dull green to bluish green adaxially, leaflets 11–17(–19), opposite, oblong to oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, (2.5–)3–6(–7.5) × 1.5–2 cm, l/w ratio 2.4–3.7, margins serrate at least in distal 1/2, often almost to base, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface white-tomentose to villous at flowering, indument often persisting, at least along midveins, leaflet axils, and petiole bases, hairs usually whitish, sometimes rufous.
alternate, simple or pinnately compound;
stipules persistent, deciduous, or absent, free, sometimes adnate or short-adnate to petiole (and base of blade in Peraphyllum );
venation pinnate.
75–200+-flowered, flat-topped or rounded, 6–18 cm diam.;
peduncles ± whitish-villous.
densely whitish-villous.
8–11 mm diam.;
hypanthium densely villous, hairs whitish, hypanthium plus sepals 2.9–3.2 mm;
sepals 0.5–1 mm, margins often glandular;
petals white, orbiculate, (3–)4–5 mm;
stamens 15–20;
carpels 1/2 adnate to hypanthium, apex conic, styles 3 or 4, 1.5–3 mm.
perianth and androecium epigynous (perigynous in Vauquelinia );
epicalyx bractlets absent;
hypanthium hemispheric, campanulate, cupulate, funnelform, or obconic, sometimes urceolate, cylindric, or saucer-shaped;
torus absent (present in Vauquelinia );
carpels 1–5, ± connate or distinct, adnate more than 1/2 to hypanthium (free in Vauquelinia , [Dichotomanthes ]), styles terminal, sometimes subterminal or lateral, distinct or ± connate basally;
ovules (1 or)2(or 3), basal and collateral, or 2–20+, marginal and biseriate (with funicular obturators).
glabrous or densely villous.
pomes or woody capsules surrounded by hypanthium and splitting into 5 follicles (coccetum) (Vauquelinia);
styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate.
yellow or orange-red to red, globose to subglobose, 8–12 mm diam., shiny or dull, slightly glaucous or not;
sepals inconspicuous, incurved.
brown, ovoid to ovoid-lanceoloid, 3–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm, asymmetric, slightly flattened.
= 34.
Sorbus aucuparia
Rosaceae tribe Maleae
Sorbus aucuparia is a commonly planted ornamental tree that is widely bird-disseminated. The species is often confused with S. decora, from which it differs by its ovoid and usually densely whitish-villous and nonglutinous winter buds and by its densely villous flowering pedicels and hypanthia. The leaflets of S. aucuparia are often tomentose abaxially at flowering; those of S. decora are glabrous or sparsely villous. Examination of leaflet serration is also useful; S. decora exhibits a prolonged apical tooth; it is no longer than the lateral ones in S. aucuparia. The lateral teeth are relatively finer and sharper in S. decora compared to those of S. aucuparia. At a magnification of at least 70× , leaflets of S. aucuparia are reportedly minutely papillose abaxially; those of S. decora are not papillose (H. A. McAllister 2005). Natural hybrids with S. decora have been reported by G. N. Jones (1939) (one fruiting specimen found near Opeongo Lake, Algonquin Park, Ontario), with Aronia arbutifolia [x\Sorbaronia hybrida (Moench) C. K. Schneider; synonyms A. hybrida (Moench) Zabel, Sorbus spuria Persoon] in Truro, Nova Scotia, and also in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont (D. W. Magee and H. A. Ahles 1999), and with A. melanocarpa (x\Sorbaronia fallax C. K. Schneider) in Maine and Massachusetts. Other nothospecies names for putative intergeneric hybrids involving S. aucuparia include: ×Crataegosorbus miczurinii Pojarkova (Crataegus sanguinea Pallas × S. aucuparia), and ×Sorbocotoneaster pozdnjakovii Pojarkova (Cotoneaster melanocarpus (Ledebour) Loddiges, G. Loddiges & W. Loddiges ex M. Roemer × S. aucuparia [as S. sibirica Hedlund]). Subspecies of Sorbus aucuparia were recognized by McAllister; the authors made no attempt to identify specimens infraspecifically. Sorbus subvestita Greene is variably considered to be a synonym of S. aucuparia (Jones) or S. decora (M. L. Fernald 1950; H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist 1991). However, Jones explicitly cited the isotype of S. subvestita in his specimen citation for S. aucuparia along with an acknowledgement of the confusion with S. decora.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Genera 29, species 550–840+ (18 genera, 270 species, including 18 hybrids, in the flora).
The family name Malaceae Small (1903) is a conserved name, with Malus as its type genus. In contrast, the family name Pyraceae Vest (1818), with Pyrus as its type, is not a conserved name. Although Maleae was published later than Pyreae (1869), a Rosaceae tribe that includes both Malus and Pyrus is to be called Maleae (see Melbourne Code, Article 19.5, Example 5).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf margins usually horny; carpels free; flowers: perianth and androecium perigynous;
fruits woody capsules surrounded by a hypanthium, splitting into 5 follicles; seeds winged | Vauquelinia |
1. Leaf margins not horny; carpels ± adnate to hypanthium; flowers: perianth and androecium epigynous; fruits pomes; seeds not winged or pyrenes. | → 2 |
2. Fruiting carpels woody or bony. | → 3 |
3. Leaf margins entire; stipules short-adnate to petiole; stems unarmed; sepals erect in
flower; petal base clawed. | Cotoneaster |
3. Leaf margins ± serrate, crenate, serrulate, or crenulate, sometimes entire; stipules free; stems usually armed (sometimes with compound thorns), sometimes unarmed; sepals spreading in flower; petal base slightly or barely clawed. | → 4 |
4. Leaves persistent or late-deciduous; flowers 3–10(–12) mm diam., hypanthium campanulate; pomes 3–8 mm diam. | Pyracantha |
4. Leaves deciduous (sometimes winter-persistent in south); flowers 8–35 mm
diam., hypanthium ± obconic; pomes 6–40 mm diam. | → 5 |
5. Flowers 8–25 mm diam., stamens 5–20 (rarely 30–45); pomes yellow to red or purplish to black mature, 6–20(–25) mm diam.; pyrenes 1–5; short shoots present; inflorescences 1–50-flowered, domed panicles, corymbose, or flowers solitary. | Crataegus |
5. Flowers 25–35 mm diam., stamens 25–35(–40); pomes brownish, 15–40 mm diam.; pyrenes 5; short shoots rare or absent; inflorescences 1(or 2) flowered | Mespilus |
2. Fruiting carpels cartilaginous. | → 6 |
6. Stems armed (thorns present).> | → 7 |
7. Stipules persistent; pedicels short or absent; styles basally connate 1/3 of length;
pome flesh without stones; stamens 40–60; fruiting sepals deciduous. | Chaenomeles |
7. Stipules usually deciduous or caducous; pedicels present; styles distinct or basally
connate; pome flesh with stones (at least near carpels and epidermis); stamens 15–50;
fruiting sepals persistent or deciduous. | → 8 |
8. Pome flesh with stone cells adjacent to carpels and epidermis; styles basally
connate. | Malus |
8. Pome flesh with abundant stone or grit cells; styles distinct. | Pyrus |
6. Stems unarmed. | → 9 |
9. Inflorescences: flowers solitary or 1–5-flowered, corymbs or cymes. | → 10 |
10. Pomes yellow; ovules (seeds) many; inflorescences: flowers solitary. | → 11 |
11. Leaf margins entire, abaxial surfaces densely villous; buds ovoid, apices obtuse or acuminate, tomentose; young branches tomentose, glabrescent; stipules caducous; flowers 40–50 mm diam., petals white or light pink, suborbiculate, ovate, or obovate, stamens equal to or slightly longer than petals; pomes pyriform or subglobose, 30–50 mm. | Cydonia |
10. Pomes pink, yellow-orange, purple, purplish or bluish black, brownish, or nearly black; ovules (seeds) (1 or)2; inflorescences 1–5-flowered, cymes or corymbs. | → 12 |
12. Pomes yellow-orange; stipules adnate to petiole and base of blade; petioles short or absent; leaf blades elliptic to oblanceolate or linear. | Peraphyllum |
12. Pomes pink, bluish or purplish black, purple, brownish, or nearly black; stipules free; petioles present; leaf blades elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or oblong-ovate to orbiculate. | → 13 |
13. Leaves leathery, drought-deciduous or persistent; sepals nearly orbiculate (inner broadly deltate), petals round or kidney-shaped; carpels barely connate or distinct, styles lateral; pomes translucent, vivid pink, drying purplish black. | Malacomeles |
13. Leaves membranous to coriaceous (not leathery), deciduous; sepals triangular to lanceolate, petals linear to orbiculate; carpels connate, styles terminal; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish. | Amelanchier |
9. Inflorescences (4 or)5–400+-flowered, panicles, sometimes racemes, corymbs, or
subumbellate. | → 14 |
14. Leaves persistent, leathery; carpels basally adnate to hypanthium. | → 15 |
15. Leaf margins flat; flowers 15–20 mm diam.; pedicels short or nearly absent; hypanthia usually tomentose; stamens 20; carpels connate, styles (2–)5; pomes soft apricot yellow, 20–30 mm (diam.). | Eriobotrya |
15. Leaf margins revolute; flowers 10 mm diam.; pedicels present; hypanthia glabrous or weakly floccose; stamens 10; carpels distinct, styles 2 or 3; pomes usually bright red, sometimes yellow, 5–10 mm | Heteromeles |
14. Leaves usually deciduous, sometimes semipersistent or persistent (then margin entire), membranous to ± leathery; carpels adnate to all or 1/3–1/2 of hypanthium. | → 16 |
16. Pome flesh with stones or sclereids. | → 17 |
17. Inflorescences terminal, 6–400+-flowered flat-topped or rounded panicles; flowers opening after leaf expansion, 5–17 mm diam.; sepals erect or ascending; leaves pinnately divided, sometimes simple or lobed. | Sorbus |
17. Inflorescences terminal on short shoots, 4–9-flowered racemes or simple corymbs, umbel-like; flowers developing with or before leaves, 15–45 mm diam.; sepals reflexed; leaves simple. | Pyrus |
16. Pome flesh without stones. | → 18 |
18. Stipules adnate to petiole, persistent | Aronia |
18. Stipules free, caducous or deciduous. | → 19 |
19. Leaves persistent or deciduous; inflorescences corymbose or subumbellate; pomes red or black. | Photinia |
19. Leaves deciduous; inflorescences racemes; pomes bluish or purplish to nearly
black, pinkish or maroon-purple, dark purple-blue, or brownish | Amelanchier |
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