Mountainash

American Mountainash (Sorbus americana)

Size: 10-30′ tall’/15 wide.

Flowering:

Fruiting: mid-late autumn

Birds: catbird, oriole, grosbeak, waxwings, robin, and thrushes (bluebird, solitaire)

Mountainash fruit crops are fairly regular and the ability to hang on throughout winter makes the berries excellent emergency food.Yellow-bellied sapsuckers sometimes drill larger specimens for sweet sap. Be cautious of purchasing varieties that are more susceptible to fire blight as these trees will likely fall victim within the first 15-20 years.

American mountain-ash is a native, smooth-barked, deciduous shrub or small tree 10 to 30 feet tall. It tends to be slow growing and short-lived. American mountain-ash prefers moist habitats from the borders of swamps to rocky hillsides. It is common in openings or in woods, scattered on uplands along edges of woods, roadsides, and under semi-open stands. It will grow well in a stunted form on relatively dry soils. American mountain-ash flowers from May to July; fruit ripens in August. The berries remain on the tree and are available to birds all winter.

 

Showy Mountainash (Sorbus decora) 25-30′ tall’/15 wide. A smooth-barked deciduous shrub or small tree up to 30 feet high with a short trunk, slender, spreading branches, and a narrow, open round-topped crown; similar to American Mountain Ash but winter buds are sticky. Numerous flowers in showy round or flat-topped clusters 5-15 cm diameter; individual, 5-petaled flowers, small, 6-8 mm wide; appearing June and July. Scarlet berries in loose clusters; ripening in August and September.

Korean Mountainash (Sorbus alnifolia) 15-30′ tall’/15 wide. The glossy, dark green leaves of this Mountain Ash are not compound as on other Sorbus species. The fall color is yellow to orange. Stress can predispose the plant to disease and insect problems. It can be susceptible to borers, and frequently develops fireblight though is less susceptable to disease than other Sorbus spp. Often short-lived in the landscape. White flowers in early summer; cherry red to vermillion berries in fall that persist into winter.

European Mountainash (Sorbus acuparia) 20-40′ tall’/20 wide. European Mt. Ash has alternate, pinnately compound, 5 to 8 inches long, individual leaflets are serrated on their upper halves, 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, dull dark green above paler below. Flower is showy clusters of small white flowers, clusters 3 to 5 inches across, appearing in May followed by clusters of bright deep orange small pomes, very showy, ripening in September, which are persistent. Stress predisposes the plant to disease and insect problems. Can be very susceptible to borers, and frequently develops fireblight. Often short-lived in the landscape. Prefers acid soils. Does not do well in compacted soils and polluted atmospheres. High summer temperatures appear to limit growth.

Hawthorne

Washington Hawthorne (Crataegus phaenopyrum)

Size: 8′ tall 10′ spread

Flowering: inconcpicuous

Fruiting: autumn

Birds: late-fall migrants, and into winter species such as cedar waxwing, purple finch, and robin.

Washington Hawthorn is a broadly oval to rounded, dense, thorny tree. The foliage is a reddish purple when unfolding gradually changing to lustrous dark green at maturity. Fall color varies from orange to scarlet to purplish. Flowers are white and 1/2″ diameter. Fruit is bright, glossy red and 1/4″ diameter. Because it holds its fruit it is an excellent wildlife species and can be used as a specimen, hedge or screen. Plant 4-6′ apart in the row. It has low water requirements and shows a high tolerance to salt and alkali soils.

 

Dotted Hawthorn (Crataegus punctata) 35-40′ tall/ 20-40′ spread. Dotted hawthorn grows 35 feet tall and spreads to 40 feet. The flowers are white, abundant, and borne in late May or June. The fruit are red, somewhat pear shaped and have small dots on them. Some cultivars may not be suitable for hardiness zone 4 or less. Flowers bloom in late May and are very strong smelling. Thorns or spines are short and stout, though this hawthorn is not as thorny as other varieties.

 

 

 

 

Spike Hawthorn (Crataegus succulenta macracantha) 20′ to 25′ tall/ 20-25′ spread. Often listed as “Fleshy Hawthorn” this mid-west and great plains native 1½ – 2” long thorns, and attractive white flowers in the spring followed by heavy crops of bright red fruit in the fall. The fruit is only partially consumed by birds with remaining fruit persisting on the plants until the spring. The fall color of fleshy hawthorn is purple to red adding substantially to the fall display in your garden.

Hackberry

Hackberry (Celtic occidentalis)

Size: 40′ tall with wide canopy spread

Flowering: inconcpicuous

Fruiting: autumn

Birds: late-fall migrants, and into winter species such as cedar waxwing, yellow-bellied sapsucker, mockingbird, purple finch, and robin.

Hackberry is a 40-60′ tall tree with a 30′ spread. This tree can attain very large proportions, usually reaching 40′-60′ tall. When grown in the open, it develops a short bole and a large rounded crown. A native North American tree that is widely distributed in the east, and the Great Plains, Hackberry prefers full sun to partial shade, grows in a variety of soils, and is very draught tolerant. Hackberry fruit is a round drupe with a thin, sweet, edible pulp enclosing a bony, cream-colored nutlet. The fruit, which is usually variable in size, form and color is dark orange or red to dark purple or black in color. The fruit persists though the winter, but most are consumed or fall off by the spring by some of the 25+ species of birds that feed on it, including cedar waxwing, yellow-bellied sapsucker, mockingbird, robin, and others.