WESTERN MOUNTAIN ASH

Sorbus scopulina

Rose Family (Rosaceae)

A close relative of the widely-used European rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia), western mountain ash has similar large, compound leaves with broad, round-tipped leaflets, flat-topped sprays of white elderberry-like blossoms, and clusters of crayon-orange berries. It is generally a smaller tree than the rowan, usually with multiple trunks that arch gracefully. Another attractive feature is the smooth, cinnamon-brown bark. In nature it is browsed by deer, which tends to give it a dense thickety look with numerous trunks, but it is easily shaped by pruning in the landscape to a more desirable form. It will need protection from browsing when young. Western mountain ash is a plant of moist sites in the mountain brush and aspen parkland communities. It likes rich soil and regular summer watering, and prefers partial or dappled shade. Good companion plants include mountain snowberry, mallowleaf ninebark, and white fir.