Rowan berries, but a true berry is a simple fruit produced from a single ovary, whereas a pome is an accessory fruit. Rowan is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species; see Lepidoptera that feed on "Sorbus". The best-known species is the European rowan "Sorbus aucuparia", a small tree typically 4–12 m tall growing in a variety of habitats throughout northern Europe and in mountains in southern Europe and southwest Asia. Its berries are a favourite food for many birds and are a traditional wild-collected food in Britain and Scandinavia. It is one of the hardiest
Sorbus × intermedia each side of the leaf, broadest near the middle, rounded at the apex, and finely serrated margins. The autumn colour is dull yellowish to grey-brown. The flowers are 15–20 mm diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs 8–12 cm diameter in late spring. The fruit is an oval pome 15 mm long and 10 mm diameter, orange-red to red, maturing in mid autumn. The fruit is dryish, and eaten by thrushes and waxwings, which disperse the seeds. "Sorbus intermedia" is a triple hybrid between "S. aucuparia", "S. torminalis", and either "S. aria" or