Ella, sent me this pretty
card with a picture of a Rowan tree. Now, the rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small
trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native
throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The best-known species is the European Rowan Sorbus aucuparia, a
small tree typically 4–12 m tall growing in a variety of habitats throughout
northern Europe and in mountains in southern Europe and southwest Asia. Its berries are a favourite food for many
birds and are a traditional wild-collected food in Britain and Scandinavia. It is
one of the hardiest European trees,
occurring to 71° north in Vardø in
Arctic Norway, and has also become widely naturalised in northern North America.
Rowans are excellent small ornamental trees for parks, gardens and wildlife areas. They are very
attractive to fruit-eating birds, which is reflected in the old name "bird
catcher".
The wood is dense and used for carving and turning and for tool handles
and walking sticks. Rowan fruit are a
traditional source of tannins for mordanting vegetable dyes. In Finland, it has been a traditional wood of choice for horse sled shafts
and rake spikes.