Sorbus aucuparia Krasavica - Rowan

Sorbus aucuparia 'Krasavica' is a small variety of Rowan, particularly attractive due to the abundance and size of its orange-red berries. It forms a well-proportioned small tree, with the finely cut leaves that are characteristic of this plant. They are medium green and highlight the flowering in broad white umbels in spring. The flowers develop to produce larger fruits than the typical species by late summer, which, in addition to being very decorative, are edible. In autumn, the foliage takes on stunning shades ranging from red to orange, before the leaves fall. Very hardy and easy to grow in most situations, it is an excellent plant for small gardens.

The Rowan is a representative of the vast family of Rosaceae (approximately 5000 species), which includes wild plants from the countryside (bramble, hawthorn...), ornamental plants (Sorbaria, Chaenomeles, Spiraea...) and numerous fruit trees (Cherry, Peach...). Some of its members can even be classified into all three groups of plants simultaneously, such as Serviceberries, certain Roses, and Rowans. The very rich Sorbus genus comprises over a hundred species, divided into two main types: the Rowans, with compound leaves, and the Alisiers, with simple leaves. There are also intergeneric hybrids resulting from the cross-breeding of a Rowan with a Pear (Sorbopyrus).
'Krasavica' is a Russian cultivar obtained by Ivan Michurin (1855-1935), a revered biologist in his country, specialising in pomology and credited with over 300 new varieties. This Rowan is particularly fruitful, which was a focus of the Russian scientist's work. It forms a small tree only 4 to 6 m tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 to 4 m. Its compact dimensions make it an excellent specimen for small gardens, where it deserves a place, combining attractive flowering, decorative fruits, and stunning autumn colours. It adopts a conical to ovoid habit, supported by a trunk that is most often quite straight, with beautiful bark in grey-brown tones. The branches bear odd-pinnate foliage, which means composed of leaflets arranged oppositely in pairs on either side of the foliar axis, while an odd leaflet extends this at its tip. The number of leaflets frequently varies from 13 to 15, sometimes more, and their colour is a medium green, rather matte. In May, the tree produces 10 to 15 cm diameter umbels, consisting of small, very lightly scented white flowers. They are honey-producing and attract bees that love to forage on them, making it a plant beneficial to wildlife. Once fertilised, the flowers begin to transform into fruits, producing large spherical, 1.2 to 1.5 cm diameter, beautiful orange-red berries. They ripen from August to September and begin to fall from the first frosts, although some will persist on the tree for part of the winter, unless the birds get to them sooner. These fruits are edible, with a sweet and sour refreshing taste and a slight bitterness, and are rich in vitamins. They are suitable for direct consumption (especially after freezing, that is to say, after frosts or after being stored in the freezer for several hours) and are excellent for preserves. Like many other Rowans, this one takes on stunning autumn colours, ranging from red to orange, before the foliage eventually falls to the ground.

Very fruitful and magnificent when adorned with its large clusters of brightly coloured fruits, the 'Krasavica' rowan is an ornamental plant and beneficial to wildlife for most of the year. Its compact dimensions allow it to be planted in a small garden, which it will quickly enhance. Plant it in the countryside, within a wild hedge, or as a specimen on a lawn, or in a city garden, integrating it into a varied flowerbed. You can plant perennials at its feet, such as Hardy Geraniums whose natural appearance will harmonise beautifully with the silhouette of your Rowan. Some naturally shaped shrubs, such as one of the many varieties of Amelanchier alnifolia, which like 'Krasavica' will reward you with a beautiful white spring flowering, decorative edible fruits resembling blueberries, and autumn colours in yellow tones, which will contrast pleasantly with the orange-red. And to perfect your scene, let a Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation', a charming Honeysuckle with wonderfully fragrant white and yellow flowers that bloom in successive waves throughout the summer, climb into your small tree.

The Rowan gets its common name from the fact that amateur ornithologists used its fruits to attract birds to their traps in the past. It is also known as the Bird Rowan, as its berries feed wild birds during the lean season. The Slavs regarded the Rowan as a magical tree, endowed with positive and invigorating powers. Planted near the house, it was believed to protect the courtyard from lightning and... demons.