428 



The Mountain Ashes 



fruit ripens in late autumn, is globose or slightly pear-shaped, 4 to 8 mm. in di- 

 ameter and bright red, its flesh acidulous; seeds about 3 mm. long, angular, 

 rounded at the top, sharp-pointed at the base. 



The wood is soft, close-grained, weak, and brown; its specific gravity is about 

 0.55. At the North the tree is occasionally planted for ornament and shade, and 

 deserves more extended use in the cooler regions of our area. Young shoots some- 

 times bear leaves with deeply incised margins. The leaflets vary greatly in form. 



2. ROWAN TREE Sorbus Aucuparia Linnaeus 



This rapid growing tree, also called Mountain ash and Quick beam, is a native 

 of Europe and Asia, extending far northward, where it becomes a small shrub. 



In our area it has long been planted 

 for ornament, and has become spar- 

 ingly naturahzed in some of the north- 

 eastern States and Canadian Provinces. 

 Its maximum height is 18 meters, with 

 a trunk diameter of 8 dm. 



The branches are stout and spread- 

 ing, forming an orbicular head; the 

 bark is smooth or somewhat scaly, 6 

 mm. thick, dark gray; the twigs are 

 hairy, grayish browTi; the sharp- 

 pointed buds are softly woolly. The 

 leaves are odd-pinnate, with hairy 

 petioles, and 9 to 15 leaflets, which are 

 oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 2.5 to 7.5 cm. long, blunt or short pointed, the margin 

 sharply toothed, except near the unequally rounded base, dufl green above, paler 

 beneath, hairy on both sides. The white flowers appear in June or July in com- 

 pact woolly cymes, their calyx-lobes woolly; petals spreading, about 4 mm. across; 

 stamens exserted, as long as the petals. The fruit is globose, about 10 mm. in 

 diameter, bright red, and usually borne in great abundance. 



The wood is hard, fine-grained, light brown; its specific gravity is about 0.83. 

 It is used for tool handles and portions of machinery, as are most of the hard, non- 

 spHtting woods of the Apple family. In the days of the bow and arrow it was 

 considered next best to the Yew for bows. The fruit is eaten in northern Europe 

 and is also dried and ground into meal. 



As an ornamental tree it has long been a favorite on account of its rapid growth, 

 profusion of flowers, and showy fruit, which is much eaten by birds; many hor- 

 ticultural forms of it are known. 



Fig. 374. Rowan Tree. 



i 



