American Mountain Ash
Sorbus americana
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Rosaceae
- Genus:
- Sorbus
- Species:
- Sorbus americana
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub , Tree
- Height:
- 20-40 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- apr, may, jun
- Bloom Colors:
- White
Native Range
United States: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Acrobasis tricolorella, Acronicta superans, American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), American plum borer (Euzophera semifuneralis), Ash Borer (Podosesia syringae), blackthorn dagger (Acronicta pruni), Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), clear dagger moth (Acronicta clarescens), Comptaria Wave (Venusia comptaria), Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), fragile dagger moth (Acronicta fragilis), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Interrupted Dagger Moth (Acronicta interrupta), pear clearwing moth (Synanthedon pyri), Phyllonorycter crataegella, Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua), Welsh wave (Venusia cambrica), white spring moth (Lomographa vestaliata), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- moist, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 4.5 - 6.5 (acidic to slightly acidic)
- Drainage:
- good drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers cool, moist environments
Germination Information
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.
Source: OpenAI GPT-4o