Sorbus sargentiana, Sargent's rowan () is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to southwestern Sichuan and northern Yunnan in China, where it grows at altitudes of . Name The specific epithet sargentiana refers to the American dendrologist Charles Sprague Sargent. Description It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to tall, with a trunk up to in diameter, and a rounded crown. The bark is dark grey, and the shoots very stout, with large (1–2 cm), dark red, sticky resinous winter buds. The leaves are the largest of any rowan, dark green with impressed veining above, glaucous beneath, long and broad, with persistent 1 cm broad stipules. The pinnate leaves consist of 9–11 oblong-lanceolate leaflets cm long and broad, with an acute apex, serrated margins. The basal leaflets are slightly smaller than the apical leaflets. They change to a rich orange-pink to purple or dark red in mid-autumn (fall). The flowers are 5–7 mm in diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced 200–500 together in very large corymbs in diameter, in late spring to early summer. The fruit is a pome 5–8 mm diameter, bright orange-red to red, maturing in early autumn; it is juicy, and readily eaten as soon as it is ripe by thrushes, which disperse the seeds. Cultivation and uses It is grown as an ornamental tree for its bold foliage, huge clusters of fruit, and bright autumn colour. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. References Further reading Hadfield, M. "Sorbus sargentiana Koehre." Quart. J. Forest 72.2 (1978): 105–107. sargentiana Endemic flora of China Trees of China Plants described in 1913