Sorbus americana
| Sorbus americana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 33' |
| Width: | 23' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Sorbus americana (common name: american mountain ash)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1][2]. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed[1][2]. Stored seed germinates better if given 2 weeks warm then 14 - 16 weeks cold stratification[3], so sow it as early in the year as possible. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Seedlings are very slow to put on top-growth for their first year or two[4], but they are busy building up a good root system. It is best to keep them in pots in a cold frame for their first winter and then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most reasonably good soils in an open sunny position[4]. Tolerates partial shade[5], though it fruits better in a sunny position[K]. Dislikes dry soils[5]. Able to succeed in poor soils and to become established on exposed open ground[6].
A slow-growing and relatively short-lived tree in the wild[6], it fruits freely in Britain[4].
Plants are susceptible to fireblight[5].
Range: Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to N. Carolina, west to Illinois and Manitoba.
Habitat: Woods, borders of swamps and rocky hillsides[7][8] at higher elevations[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[9][10]. Rich in iron and vitamin C[11][12]. The fruit is used mainly in making pies, preserves etc, but it can also be eaten raw after a frost because it turns sweeter then[10][13]. The fruit has a high tannin content and so should only be used in moderation if eaten raw[12]. It can also be dried and ground into a meal[12]. The fruit is produced in dense clusters and is up to 8mm in diameter[14].
Medicinal: The inner bark has astringent and antiseptic properties[11]. It is also used as a blood purifier and appetite stimulant[15]. An infusion is used (sometimes with the terminal buds added) in the treatment of colds, debility, diarrhoea etc[16][15]. When mixed with sweet flag (Acorus calamus) it is used as a tonic[15].
A poultice of the burnt bark has been used in the treatment of boils[15].
The fruit is antiscorbutic, diuretic, mildly laxative, astringent and digestive[12][15]. It is an ideal accompaniment for foods that are hard to digest[12].
A tea from the berries is antiscorbutic and astringent[11][16]. It has been used as a rectal wash for piles[11].
It is also used in homeopathic remedies[17][8].
Usage: Wood - soft, light, close grained, with little strength[8][6][18]. It weighs about 34lb per cubic foot[18] and is of no commercial value[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The seeds probably contain hydrogen cyanide. This is the ingredient that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. Unless the seed is very bitter it should be perfectly safe in reasonable quantities. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown
Also Known As: S. microcarpa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.