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Japanese Rowan🌸
Sorbus commixta
ナナカマド
A small deciduous tree in the rose family, native to mountains and subalpine zones from Hokkaidō to Kyūshū and extending to the Korean peninsula, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. Odd-pinnately compound leaves turn vivid red in autumn, accompanied by many 5–8 mm red berries. The striking combination has made it a favourite street and park tree across Hokkaidō and Tōhoku. The name 'nanakamado' ('seven kamado') comes from a legend that it won't burn even in seven firings — though in practice it burns well. Sapporo's city tree.
Identification Points
- ✓Odd-pinnately compound leaves with serrate lanceolate leaflets
- ✓Vivid red autumn leaves
- ✓Many small red 5–8 mm berries
Habitat
Mountains and subalpine zones; also street tree
Season
June to July (flowers); September to November (fruit, autumn colour)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Compound
Compound type
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Petal count
5 petals
Flower color
White
Flowering season
Summer
Habitat
Mountain
Phylogenetic Positionバラ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosales > Rosaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 90 million years ago onward)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification