''Sorbus scopulina'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

that is native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, primarily in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. The common name of this species is often given as Greene's mountain-ash, and is so named in honor of American botanist

Edward Lee Greene Edward Lee Greene (August 20, 1843–November 10, 1915) was an American botanist known for his numerous publications including the two-part ''Landmarks of Botanical History'' and the describing of over 4,400 species of plants in the American W ...

. Throughout the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Northwest portions of this rowan's habitat, it is commonly called Cascade mountain-ash, sometimes listed as ''Sorbus scopulina var. cascadensis''. Various birds and mammals, including bears, eat the fruit. They were eaten by Native Americans and early settlers, and be cooked and made into jelly. They taste bitter when fresh, and are better when they redden. They should not be confused with poisonous baneberries, particularly the red baneberry.

References

External links

Interactive Distribution Map for Sorbus scopulina
scopulina Berries Flora of Subarctic America Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the South-Central United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{sorbus-stub