Olympic Flame is one of the best small rowans. The highly-feathered leaves start out as a copper green colour, becoming green over the summer, and then an intense orange / red in the autumn.
The small flowers are white, borne in large inflorescences in late spring, and develop into bright red fruitlets.
Unlike most rowans, the fruits do not stay on the tree (persist) into winter, although they are attractive to birds.
Order now for delivery from week commencing 18th November for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
Olympic Flame grows with a naturally upright and (particularly as a young tree) does not have many side shoots. It is a good choice if space is limited.
In 2014 Sorbus 'Olympic Flame' was re-classified in the species Sorbus ulleungensis. It was previously listed in the long-established rowan species Sorbus commixta which is native to Japan, Korea, and Sakhalin. The change resulted from research into the wild populations of Sorbus species on Ulleung Island, off the coast of Korea, which identified the new species based on its larger flowers and larger fruits.
Illustrative example of a pot-grown tree of this variety as supplied.
Approximate girth: 6/8cm. We try to keep all pot-grown trees down to about 1.5m as supplied, but some may be larger.
Trees should reach their mature height after about 10 or more years.
We may also have 1-year bare-root trees of this variety - they are not shown here.
We list more than 50 Sorbus (rowan and whitebeam) trees. Choosing can be difficult! Our article explaining the different berry and leaf colours might help narrow down the selection.
This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2023.