Rowan Rowan The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus "Sorbus" of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies occur. The name "rowan" was originally applied to the species "Sorbus aucuparia" and is also used for other species in "Sorbus" subgenus "Sorbus". Formerly, when a wider variety of fruits were commonly eaten in Europe and North America, "Sorbus" was a domestically used fruit throughout these regions. It is still used in
Mountain Ash East Newtown, Caegarw, Cwmpennar and Cefnpennar. According to the 2011 UK Census Mountain Ash East had a population of 2,909. Mountain Ash East includes the village's Grade II listed St Margaret's Church, designed by John Pollard Seddon. An electoral ward of Mountain Ash East pre-existed the community. The ward elects one county councillor to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Since 1995 the ward has been represented on the council by Plaid Cymru councillor, Pauline Jarman, who was previously a councillor on Cynon Valley Borough Council. She first stood for election in 1976. Cllr Jarman has been leader of the Plaid