One of the most striking of the Autumn trees has to be the Rowan Tree. Also called the Mountain Ash, this species is actually not a relative of the common ash at all. The leaves do look similar, but the Rowan’s has spiky edges.
You can identify the rowan in Autumn because it’s leaves are turning bright red and orange and it will probably be covered in clusters of bright red berries.
The berries contain the seeds of the Rowan. They want to be seen by any passing creatures, particularly those that can see colour. For these species (which include us) red is possibly the most eye catching, so the Rowan uses the colour red for it’s berries. An animal then eats the berries, travels to a new location and excretes the seeds in a pile of natural fertiliser!
But bright colours in the Natural Kingdom can also be a warning of poison. So are the Rowan berries poisonous? The answer is no…and yes. Care should be taken when foraging for these berries. The can be made into things but time of year and age of the tree should be taken into account. Birds will gobble them down by the beak-full and although raw berries are unpleasant to eat, there are recipes you can find for Home Made Rowan Berry Marmalade!
Just make sure if you do go out collecting that you only take what you need and leave plenty for the birds, they will as many berries as they can find come winter!
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Great article! i was searching some information on the Rowan Berries in English for my post and picture on my G+ page Naturpunkt.
Some years ago an old healer told me, that one of the best remedies for infects and throught problems is to take concentrated Rowan Berries. Therefore freeze them or take them after the first frost. One should mash them and then freeze in Ice Cube Tray, after thawed use warm.
Your blog is highly interesting! Best regards from Austria
Gina / Naturpunkt
Found a mouse doing something akin to break dancing amongst the Rowan berries under the tree the other day, could they be poisonous to mice? didn’t look very well next morning anyway, mouse half eaten by something.
Hi
I have what I believe is a Rowan tree, but the birds do not eat any of the berries, but they do eat all the berries off a holy tree., so I am now wondering if the tree is a Rown after all. Maybe you could tell me if there is a similar tree with poison berrys.
Regards Bill
Hi Bill,
If it isn’t a ROwan, it could be a Swedish Whitebeam. Birds, however, will also feed from this tree too. It sounds like you birds are simply favouring one food source over another. The Holly berries in your garden clearly taste better (or have more energy) than the other tree.
Hope this helps,
Russ
hi, Last September I made some rowan and apple jelly. What I noticed was that I went up to a mountain near me (only up to 300m) and most of the berries had been decimated by the birds. I managed to get enough and it was/still is delicious. In town though the berries on the rowan trees lasted some 2 months longer.
Why?
Either the birds were different or the berries are different. September is a bit too early to get the vast flocks of thrushes from the continent, so I am opting for the fruit being different. Town trees are cultivated varieties and would have been selected/crossed for a long fruiting season. Clearly making the fruit unattractive to the birds would be an advantage, so if the birds won’t eat them they are clearly different, either less sugar, they are harder, or more distasteful/poisonous content
If the birds don’t eat them I won’t eat them and I’ll do the same trek up the mountain this September, for the ones the birds like, only a week or so earlier
I often make rowan jelly from red rowan berries, however, I recently found two rowan trees with white berries and another with pink berries (definitely rowan trees) can anyone tell me if these coloured berries are safe to eat please…thanks.
Hi, I’m trying to find out whether I can use the different coloured Rowan berries to make Rowan jelly. Where I am we have white, pink, pale yellow and orange as well as the usual red and I’d like to make a selection of jellies. Do you know whether all colours are safe to use? Thank you.
C Easton
ps I always leave plenty for the birds:-)
Hi Cheryl,
As far as I am aware it is the red/orange berries from the Rowan tree you can use.Where abouts in the World are you if you don’t mind me asking?
Russ
Are these trees poisonous to horses?
I have read that rowan berries are poisonous for dogs. I must ask our Council to stop planting them on dog-walking routes.
I was told by a Scottish Tour Guide that they make marinade (for meat) from Rowan Berry juice.
I’m about to plant a rowan tree but I back onto a children’s nursery garden will this be a danger to the children?