Sorbus vilmorinii, the Vilmorin's rowan or Vilmorin's mountain ash, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan in China.
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree, 4- tall, with ferny leaves, each having multiple leaflets that turn purple in autumn (fall). The fruits, which can last through winter, are crimson, turning to pale pink.[1] They are ornamental, and not for consumption.
The specific epithet vilmorinii refers to the 19th century French horticulturalist Maurice de Vilmorin.[2]
It grows in a wide range of habitats (mountain slopes, roadsides, mixed forests along river banks, grasslands, bamboo thickets).[3]
Sorbus vilmorinii was described based on a specimen in cultivation that was an apomictic microspecies. However, almost indistinguishable specimens are diploid and frequent in the wild. Also hybrids are common in the wild.[3]
In cultivation, this plant provides a long season of interest as an elegant, compact tree which can be grown in smaller gardens. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4] [5]