Sorbus scopulina : Western Mountain Ash

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Genera: Sorbus (Mountain Ash)

Species: scopulina

English Name(s):

Western Mountain Ash, Mountain Ash

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• A much branched thicket forming shrub. 1-3 meters high.
• Bark reddish; winter buds and young twigs white pubescent (hiary).

Leaves:

• Stipules (leaf-like apendages) usually persistent (not falling off).
• Leaflets oblong-lanceolate tappering to a point, sharply serrate (toothed)
• Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate with 11-13 leaflets.

Reproductive Parts:

• Both the pedicels (flower stems) and the triangular sepals have long, soft, white hairs.
• Flowers perfect (bisexual), in a flat-topped corymbose cyme.
• Ovary inferior (within receptacle) with 2-5 locules (chambers).
• Petals 4-6 mm long; Stamens (male parts) 15-20; Pistil (female part) 1.

Seed:

• Fruit a pome 5-10 mm long, orange to red and glossy.

Not to Be Confused With:

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial.

Seasonal Cycle:

• Leaves deciduous (falling off).

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Moist alpine slopes.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food: