Rowan Several of the Asian species are widely cultivated as ornamental trees. North American native species in the subgenus "Sorbus (Sorbus)" include the American mountain-ash "Sorbus americana" and Showy mountain-ash "Sorbus decora" in the east and Sitka mountain-ash "Sorbus sitchensis" in the west. Numerous hybrids, mostly behaving as true species reproducing by apomixis, occur between rowans and whitebeams; these are variably intermediate between their parents but generally more resemble whitebeams and are usually grouped with them (q.v.). Rowans are excellent small ornamental trees for parks, gardens and wildlife areas. Several of the Chinese species, such as White-fruited rowan ("Sorbus glabrescens") are
Sorbus alnifolia fruit (persistent in other whitebeams), but genetic evidence places it close to "Sorbus aria". It is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree in northern Europe, primarily for its autumn colour. The cultivar 'Skyline' has been selected for its fastigiate growth. Sorbus alnifolia Sorbus alnifolia (syn. "Aria alnifolia"), also called alder-leafed whitebeam, Korean whitebeam, or Korean mountain ash, , is a species of whitebeam native to eastern Asia in eastern and northern China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. "Sorbus alnifolia" is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 10–20 m tall with a trunk up to 30 cm diameter and grey bark; the