Sorbus filipes - Rowan

Sorbus filipes is a botanical species of Rowan that will delight collectors and enthusiasts of rare plants. This deciduous bush, native to Tibet and southern central China, has a slow growth rate and features particularly elegant foliage, divided into small green leaflets that turn scarlet in autumn. The flowering of this rowan is rather discreet, followed by the formation of small fruits in clusters that change from dark red to white in August and September.

Sorbus filipes belongs to the Rosaceae family like all rowans. Its distribution range is vast, extending from Tibet to southern central China. It is a species of temperate climate, experiencing humid summers. In the wild, it can be found at altitudes of up to 3,600 m, in sparse forests, growing in shallow, peaty soils on limestone rocks. This bush exhibits a slow growth rate and reaches a height of 2 to 4 m. The young shoots are reddish-brown and hairy, eventually turning grey-black and displaying prominent lenticels. The oval buds measure between 3 and 6 mm long and are covered with a few hairy scales. The foliage is odd-pinnate, meaning that each leaf is composed of an odd number of leaflets. Their main vein is hairy and slightly winged. These leaves measure 5 to 10 cm long. The very small, elliptical to ovate leaflets measure 0.6 to 1.4 cm wide and 4 to 8 mm long; they are toothed and smooth. There are 8 to 13 pairs of leaflets per leaf. The foliage is green in summer, turning scarlet in autumn before falling. This rowan flowers in May-June, depending on the climate. The flowers are gathered in pendulous corymbs, often partially hidden behind the leaves. They emit a light fragrance. The fruits, which develop in August and September, are initially dark red and then turn white. They are oval and measure 7 to 10 mm long. Sorbus filipes is apomictic, capable of producing a diploid embryo without fertilisation, which will then be genetically identical to its mother. This allows it to be reliably multiplied by sowing.

This Asian rowan has some requirements regarding soil and climate, but it should thrive in temperate regions. Given its rarity and delicacy, it should be prominently displayed, as a specimen or in front of a group of larger bushes. Sorbus filipes prefers a sunny position and moist, well-drained soil rich in humus. For better performance in less favourable climates, it is sometimes grafted onto Sorbus aucuparia. This rowan pairs particularly well with Rhododendron ponticum 'Variegatum', Magnolia stellata, Acer davidii (David's Maple), and Viburnum carlesii (Carles' Viburnum). These plants share the same growing conditions and highlight the scarlet foliage and attractive fruits of the Sorbus filipes.