Sorbus vilmorinii Sorbus vilmorinii Sorbus vilmorinii, the Vilmorin's rowan or Vilmorin's mountain ash (), is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan in China. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree, tall, with ferny leaves, each having multiple leaflets that turn purple in autumn (fall). The fruits, which can last through winter, are crimson, turning to pale pink. They are eaten by birds when there is no other food supply nearby. The specific epithet "vilmorinii" refers to the 19th century French horticulturalist Maurice de Vilmorin. It grows in a wide range of habitats
Arran whitebeams between "S. arranensis" and the mountain ash ("S. aucuparia"). The "Sorbus" group are apomictic, producing viable seed without the need for pollination and fertilisation. Each time this hybrid cross occurs a new clone is effectively produced. Smart showed by using physical characteristics that the species were separate and not a result of random variation. Some overlap does however occur and this suggests that some hybridising may occur between the two species. A number of other "Sorbus" species have been produced in this way, such as the Devon whitebeam, the Bristol whitebeam, the Cheddar whitebeam, Irish whitebeam, Lancaster whitebeam, etc. All