Sorbus scopulina
| Sorbus scopulina | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 13' |
| Width: | 13' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Sorbus scopulina (common name: western 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]. Dislikes dry soils[5]. Tolerates light shade[5], though it fruits better in a sunny position[K].
Plants are susceptible to fireblight[5].
Range: N. America - Labrador to Alaska, south to Maine, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado and Utah.
Habitat: Canyons and wooded slopes, 1200 - 2700 metres in California[6]. Moist and wet soils of hills and mountains to 2,700 metres[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw, cooked in pies, preserves etc, or dried for later use[8][9][10]. A bitter flavour[7]. The fruit becomes sweeter and so tastes best after a frost, it can also be bletted if it is going to be eaten raw[K]. This involves storing the fruit in a cool dry place until it is almost but not quite going rotten. At this stage the fruit of many species has a delicious taste, somewhat like a luscious tropical fruit. The fruit is up to 5mm across[11].
Medicinal: An infusion of the branches has been given to young children with bed-wetting problems[12].
The bark is febrifuge and tonic[12]. It has been used in the treatment of general sickness[12].
Usage: The wood is soft and weighs 37lb per cubic foot[13].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: 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. sambucifolia. non Roem.
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 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.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.