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West Virginia Trees

Chapter 89: MOUNTAIN ASH
By A. B. Brooks
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Nature/Gardening/Animals

About This Book

A practical field guide to the native and introduced trees of West Virginia, providing keys based mainly on leaves and fruits, concise family and species descriptions, and detailed line drawings for about 101 native species. It organizes trees by botanical families, gives brief flower notes, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for identifying specimens; occasional introduced species and shrubs are noted. The bulletin emphasizes simplicity for non-specialists, offers measurements and habit descriptions for each species, and includes administrative prefatory material. Its aim is to aid lay readers and students in tree identification and to encourage local interest in forestry.

MOUNTAIN ASH

Pyrus americana (Marsh.) D. C.

Form.—Height 20-30 feet, diameter 8-12 inches; trunk short, supporting a round-topped crown.

Leaves.—Alternate, compound, 6-9 inches long; leaflets 9-17, 2-3 inches long, nearly sessile, except the terminal one, lanceolate, taper-pointed, sharply serrate above the entire base; glabrous, dark green above, paler beneath.

Flowers.—Appear in May; perfect, in flat cymes 3-4 inches across, white.

Fruit.—Matures in autumn, persistent on the tree through the winter; a round berry-like pome, ¼ inch in diameter, bright red, acid, in large flat-topped clusters.

Bark.—Smooth or slightly roughened, light gray.

Wood.—Light, close-grained, soft, weak, light brown with lighter sapwood.

Range.—Newfoundland west to Manitoba and Iowa, south along the mountains to North Carolina.

Distribution in West Virginia.—Confined to high swamps and mountains. Observed in the following counties: Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph and Tucker.

Habitat.—Moist soil of swamps and rocky slopes.

Notes.—This tree has no commercial value, being rare and of small size. Its form, foliage, flowers and bright persistent fruits make it a desirable tree for ornamental planting.