Species PlantsAmerican Mountain Ash

American Mountain Ash

Sorbus americana

CommonPlant
Illustration of American Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana)

American Mountain Ash is a small tree or shrub of boreal forests and mountain ridges, producing large clusters of brilliant orange-red berries that persist into winter and provide critical food for waxwings, thrushes, and grouse. It is not a true ash (genus Fraxinus) but a member of the rose family related to apples. The berries are mildly toxic raw but edible when cooked.

Habitat
Boreal forests, mountain ridges, and cool rocky slopes across northern North America
Diet
Berries eaten by cedar waxwings, bohemian waxwings, thrushes, and grouse
How common
Common

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