Sorbus wilfordii - Japanese rowan

Sorbus wilfordii (syn. Sorbus commixta) is Japanese Rowan, which is little known, despite being among the best small ornamental trees for urban or country gardens: it offers nectar-rich spring flowering, colourful fruiting that is nutritious for birds, and beautiful autumn colours. It can be planted as a standalone specimen or in a large informal hedge. It is very hardy, content with a preferably non-calcareous, well-drained soil that remains slightly moist.

Belonging to the Rosaceae family, Sorbus wilfordii is considered a synonym of Sorbus commixta. This botanical species is native to the alpine forests of Japan, Korea, Sakhalin, and some regions of China, where it often grows in mixed forests with conifers and deciduous trees.
The habit of this rowan is initially conical, with upright branches, then it becomes ovoid and more spreading with age; its bark is smooth, brown-grey, punctuated with pale lenticels. The young shoots are brown to olive green. A mature specimen will reach 8 to 12 m in height with a spread of 4 to 8 m. The plant commonly reaches 3 to 5 m at 10 years of age, depending on the soil and climate. The plant does not produce suckers; it typically forms a main trunk, sometimes several if trained that way. The deciduous, 15-20 cm long leaves are compound with 11 to 17 lanceolate, finely toothed leaflets of 4 to 9 cm. Their colour is a glossy dark green in season, then in autumn they take on shades of yellow, orange to deep red depending on sunlight and the nature of the soil.
The flowering, from late May to June, appears in corymbs 9 to 15 cm in diameter composed of numerous small five-petalled white flowers of 6 to 10 mm, with yellowish stamens; they are honey-producing and pollen-bearing, regularly visited by honeybees and wild bees as well as various flies and beetles. The small spherical, 7 to 8 mm fruits are orange to red when ripe, borne in tight clusters that often persist until the first frosts and feed blackbirds, thrushes, and other birds; they mainly contribute to the ornament and biodiversity of the garden.
This rowan is hardy down to -20 °C in well-drained soil. Like other rowans, it can be susceptible to fire blight and certain cankers.

Sorbus wilfordii can be planted as an isolated specimen, in a country hedge, or in a shrub border with exotic, Japanese-inspired, or naturalistic inspiration. Its moderate growth allows it to be accommodated in many gardens. It pairs well with Japanese maple Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ for its blood-red autumn foliage, Amelanchier ‘Ballerina’ for its spring flowers and fruits offered to birds, Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’ for its tiered structure, and Cornus kousa ‘China Girl’.

Botanical history: the specific name commixta means "mixed", recalling the presence of the species within mixed forests, while its Japanese name "nanakamado" illustrates its long companionship with Japanese landscapes.