Sorbus esserteauana Sorbus esserteauana Sorbus esserteauana, commonly known as Esserteau's rowan, is a species of rowan. It is a small tree, typically tall growing in mountain thickets and cliffs. It is an endemic species to China, being only found in western Sichuan. It has small white flowers and small red berries that are actually a pome fruit. Unlike all other species of "Sorbus", the fruit are hard and inedible to humans, but they are eaten by birds that scatter the seeds. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens and parks for its decorative fruit and because it attracts birds. When
Sorbus aucuparia a source for fruit in harsh mountain climate and Maria Theresa of the Habsburg Monarchy recommended the planting of the species in 1779. An edible variety, named "Sorbus aucuparia" var. "dulcis" Kraetzl, or var. "edulis" Dieck, or var. "moravica" Dippel, was first discovered in 1810 near Ostružná in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range of Northern Moravia and became widespread in Germany and Austria the early 20th century. Its leaves are larger and pointed, only the front part of the leaflets is serrated, and they have darker bark, larger buds and larger fruit. Similar non-bitter varieties found in Southern Russia were