Tree of the month....The Rowan

[SJH]

The Rowan is seen as the tree of life to the Druids. It is also known as Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, The Witch or Witch Wand, and has long been known as an aid and protection against enchantment. . In the British Isles, Rowan is used as a protection against lightning and magical charms of all sorts. In ancient Ireland, the Druids of opposing forces would kindle a fire of rowan and say an incantation over it to summon spirits to take part in the battle.

[sean]

The specific name acuparia is reminiscent of the days on the continent when bird catchers used the fruit as a bait for their traps....auceps meaning a fowler. This is where one of the names for the rowan comes from The Fowler's Service.

[sean]

The Rowan Tree

 

Oh! Rowan Tree Oh! Rowan Tree!

 

Thou'lt aye be dear to me,

Entwined thou art wi mony ties,

O' hame and infancy.

Thy leaves were aye the first o' spring,

Thy flow'rs the simmer's pride;

There was nae sic a bonny tree

In a' the countrieside

Oh! Rowan tree!

How fair wert thou in simmer time,

 

Wi' a' thy clusters white

How rich and gay thy autumn dress,

Wi' berries red and bright.

On thy fair stem were many names,

Which now nae mair I see,

But they're engraven on my heart.

Forgot they ne'er can be!

Oh! Rowan tree!

We sat aneath thy spreading shade,

 

The bairnies round thee ran,

They pu'd thy bonny berries red,

And necklaces they strang.

My Mother! Oh, I see her still,

She smil'd oor sports to see,

Wi' little Jeanie on her lap,

And Jamie at her knee!

Oh! Rowan tree!

Oh! there arose my Father's pray'r,

 

In holy evening's calm,

How sweet was then my Mither's voice,

In the Martyr's psalm;

Now a' are gane! we meet nae mair

Aneath the Rowan Tree;

But hallowed thoughts around thee twine

O' hame and infancy.

Oh! Rowan tree!

[sean]

The Rannoch Rowan

 

 

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Probably the loneliest tree in Britain is a rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) which stands in splendid isolation in the desolate wilderness of Rannoch Moor. It perches on top of a giant boulder, its windswept crown bearing testament to the extreme exposure with which it has to contend.

 

Remarkably, the tree has managed to maintain a hold in the crevices of its lichen-encrusted pedestal, its roots somehow seeking sustenance from a deep fissure in the rock.

 

This lonely rowan is now a well-known landmark on the busy A82 road.

 

An elevated position

 

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The secret of the tree’s survival is its elevated position, which keeps it out of reach of the relentless grazing by sheep and deer. Rowan, a species native to Scotland, is an opportunist of the tree world, and this particular tree has carved out its own niche in a harsh environment.

 

Rannoch Moor was not always so bleak and treeless. Between 5000 and 2500 years ago, Scotland’s climate was drier and more continental, causing the bogs to dry out briefly. A vast forest of birch and pine colonised the moor, only to disappear as the climate gradually changed again.

 

All that now remains are countless stumps entombed in a peaty grave, and a small remnant of native pinewood known as the Black Wood of Rannoch.

 

Where to see the Rannoch Rowan:

Beside the A82 trunk road between Glencoe and Bridge of Orchy, near the boundary between Highland and Perth & Kinross. Public access is available.

[Stephen Blair]

next time i pass i will fell it just for you sean:biggrin:, your little digs arent going un noticed:sneaky2:

[sean]

next time i pass i will fell it just for you sean:biggrin:, your little digs arent going un noticed:sneaky2

 

surely it's only the dig?? see your post here.....http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/picture-forum/12526-survival-fittest.html

 

sounds like a p**s take to me.

 

Truth is i love your threads really.....especially when they are open,heartfelt and sincere. When they are full of warmth and caring to those in need of a lift or a shoulder. And when they are blatantly taking the p**s.

 

Here's to ya..

[Omniata]

had some mad old woman tryin to tell me they are sacred ancient trees, not sure about that but the fastigiate form 'sheerwater seedling' is a common street tree. the berries can be used to make a dark orange jelly similar to marmalade, also can be distilled into alcohol..mmm. Ed

 

You don't just have to distill it, if you pick the berries as the branches start to wilt, near fall, you can make a lovelly wine from them...

 

A plan for me for next year, as near to my local legion there are 4 of these trees, moderately sized, which fruit really well

 

Oh, the joys of home brewing from forraged fruit

[sean]

The Rowan's fruit is are Pomes not berries.

[sean]

Rowan is very tolerant of cold and is often found at high altitude on mountains; in the UK it occurs at up to 1 000 m altitude, higher than any other tree, and in France up to 2 000 m. [5] [7] [10]

 

It is very tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions, including thin acid soils and cracks in cliffs. It also fairly frequently grows as an epiphyte in clefts or cavities of larger trees such as Scots Pines, though epiphytic specimens rarely have growing conditions adequate for them to reach maturity.

[Omniata]

The Rowan's fruit is are Pomes not berries.

 

Sorry I was reading from old wine books

 

There is one difficulty with making wine in that the sorbic acid which makes a good preservative for jam/marmalade made from it also hinders fermentation... This is what gives it the "astringent" taste...

It's better to ferment the wine with only sugar and add the crushed berries/pomes at the end...