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["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

There are actually several Sorbus species used in England.  The common Mt. Ash grown here, Sorbus aucuparia, is very bitter and unpleasant.  Some of the other species, however, have very pleasant, sweet fruit.  Sorbus lanata, S. devoniensis,, S. domestica, to name a few, are all edible.  S. domestica has a fruit over 1 1/2 inches in diameter, but it does have to be "bletted" like a medlar to be edible as it's very astringent otherwise.  Cooking destroys the astringency, though.  
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Feb 14, 2006, at 4:34 PM, kieran or donna wrote:

Bill wrote,  "Rowan is the old name for Hawthorne."

Maybe in America, but not in England.  They are very precise about this sort
of thing over there because they don't have all that many plants, and most
of what they do have is everywhere.  They never mixed things up.  Rowan is
mountain ash.  It's funny now that I think of it, I heard of rowan wine when
I lived there, but I don't think I ever heard of anyone doing anything with
hawthorns.  Donna