Sorbus commixta, the Japanese rowan, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to central and eastern China, Korea, Japan, and Sakhalin (in the Russian Far East).

Name

The specific epithet commixta means "mixed or mingled together".

Description

It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 7 - 10 m tall, rarely 18 m, growing in mixed forests and on mountain slopes. It has a rounded crown and brownish to silvery-grey bark. The leaves are 20 - 30 cm long, and pinnate. The leaves consist of 11–17 leaflets, each 4 - 7 cm long and 1–2.5 cm broad, with an acuminate apex and serrated margins; they change to a deep purple or red in autumn. The flowers are 6–10 mm in diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs 9 - 15 cm in diameter in late spring to early summer. The fruit is a bright orange to red pome 7–8 mm in diameter, maturing in autumn. Plants from Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin are sometimes distinguished as Sorbus commixta'' var. sachalinensis'', with larger leaflets up to 9 cm long.

Cultivation and uses

Sorbus commixta is grown as an ornamental tree, hardy in zones 5-9. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil, in full sun. A number of cultivars have been selected, the most popular being 'Embley' (with fastigiate branching) and 'Serotina' (flowering later in early summer). 'Embley' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.