Any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Sorbus , in the rose family, native to the Northern Hemisphere.
They are widely cultivated as ornamentals for their white flower clusters and bright-orange fruits. Most noteworthy are the handsome American mountain ash, or dogberry ( S. americana ), and European mountain ash ( S. aucuparia ), also called rowan, or quickbeam. The European species grows to 60 ft (18 m), twice as high as the American species.