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American Mountain Ash

Sorbus americana

American mountain-ash brightens cool northern woods and mountainsides with flat clusters of white bloom and, by fall, blazing orange-red berries that waxwings and grosbeaks strip quickly. Needs cool, moist, acidic soil.

Family
Rosaceae
Type
tree
Lifespan
perennial
Height
15–30 ft
Spacing
12–20 ft apart
Light
sun, part shade
Soil moisture
moist, wet
Soil pH
acidic, neutral
Bloom
May, June
Bloom colors
white
Wildlife value
pollinators, songbirds, butterflies, larval host
Caterpillar hosts
~68 butterfly & moth species
Landscape uses
specimen, hedge or screen, rain garden
Native states
CT, MA, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV