Rowan is attested from the 1520s in the sense "fruit of the service tree", adopted via French "sorbe" from Latin "sorbum" "service-berry". "Sorbus domestica" is also known as "whitty pear", the adjective whitty meaning "pinnate". The name "mountain-ash" for "Sorbus domestica" is due to a superficial similarity of the rowan leaves to those of the ash, not to be confused in "Fraxinus ornus", a true ash that is also known as "mountain ash". "Sorbus torminalis" is also known as "chequer tree"; its fruits, formerly used to flavour beer, are called "chequers", perhaps from the spotted pattern of the fruit. The name
Sorbus anglica cliffs, quarries and rocky hillsides. It appears to be indifferent to soil pH. Occasional specimens are known from oak woodland. Research suggests Sorbus anglica developed from a cross between Sorbus porrigentiformis and Sorbus aucuparia. Sorbus anglica Sorbus anglica, the English whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam tree in the family Rosaceae. It is uncommonly found in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with an entire British population estimated at about 600 individuals. Sorbus anglica grows as a small tree or shrub, often with multiple stems. The leaves are broader than most other Sorbus, with lobes whose bases are incised up to