The Mountain Ash, or Rowan-tree, is beautiful in all its conditions and
at all seasons. Its elegant pinnate foliage, not flowing, like that of
the locust, but neat, firm, and finely serrate, and its flowers, in
large clusters, like those of the elder, render the tree very
conspicuous when in blossom. But its greatest ornament is the scarlet
fruit that hangs from every branch in the autumn. We could hardly be
persuaded to introduce the Mountain Ash into a picture. The primness of
its form injures it as a picturesque object in landscape. Its beauty is
such as children admire, who are guided by a sense of its material
attractions, and do not generally prize a tree except for its elegance
and colors. The beauty, however, which attracts the sensual eye in this
case is deceitful, for its fruit is of a bitter, sour flavor, and
incapable of improvement. European writers say that thrushes are very
fond of this fruit. In our land it remains untouched, at least until
late in the season, after the black cherries are gone, which tempt all
kinds of birds by their superior flavor. The American Mountain Ash
differs from the European tree only by its smaller fruit.
I have said that the Mountain Ash is wanting in picturesque qualities;
but my remark applies only to its form and habit of growth. On the other
hand, it is peculiarly the tree of romance, being remarkable for the
many superstitious customs connected with it. According to Evelyn,
“There is no churchyard in Wales without a Mountain Ash-tree planted in
it, as the yew-trees are in the churchyards of England. So on a certain
day of the year everybody in Wales religiously wears a cross made of the
wood.” Gilpin says that in his time “a stump of the Mountain Ash was
generally found in some old burial-place, or near the circle of a
Druid’s temple, the rites of which were formerly performed under its
shade.”
Many of the inhabitants of Great Britain still believe that a branch of
the Rowan-tree carried about with them is a charm against the evil
influences of witchcraft. It is remarkable that similar superstitions
connected with this tree prevail among the North American Indians; and
it is not improbable that they were introduced by the early Welsh
colonists, before the discovery of America by Columbus.
[Illustration: MOUNTAIN ASH.]