Here's an unusual understory tree. American Mountain Ash features a beautiful, rounded crown and lovely lace-like summer blooms on the tips of the branches just as the leaves come out.
American Mountain Ash is a larval host to the Canada Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and the White Spring Moth and other moth species.
Red berry-like fruits emerge in September and would hang on through winter except they're usually devoured by birds -- look for Robins, Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays and Cedar Waxwings.
Fall color is a golden orange, although the leaves on Mountain Ash tend to drop early, easier for the birds to drop in and grab the fruits.
Note: Mountain Ash is a member of the Rose family and thus is not susceptible to the Emerald Ash Borer.
Fun fact: The fruits can be eaten raw or cooked and generally turn sweeter after the first frost.
American Mountain Ash
- Latin: Sorbus americana
- Pollinator Value: Very High
- Height: 15-20 feet tall and wide
- Light: Sun (best) to part shade
- Soil: Medium, well drained
- Bloom: Creamy white, June-July
- Fruit: Bright red-orange, fall into winter
- Landscape: Specimen, native garden, slopes
- Resistance: n/a
- Native range here