Through the Ivy Gate

🌿 February’s Ogham Tree: Rowan (Luis ᚂ)

This month the Celtic tree calendar belongs to Rowan, also known as Mountain Ash. It’s been a new tree for me to learn and understand, I wanted to share my findings with you all before February comes to a close!

How to Identify Rowan in Winter 🍂

• Purple-silver buds that are slightly furry (sometimes with a faint almond scent when crushed)
• Chubby, ringed side shoots - often described as looking like “stacked pancakes”
• Branches that grow upward rather than drooping
• Pale grey bark with small horizontal slits (lenticels), similar to those on Silver Birch
• Silvery lichen often growing across the trunk

Rowan is a small to medium tree. It thrives in acidic soils and higher ground (hence Mountain Ash) but is also commonly planted in suburban areas.

In Spring & Summer 🌸
Rowan becomes much easier to recognise:

• Paired leaflets along a central stem (similar to Ash)
• Clusters of delicate white flowers
• Bright red berries in late summer and autumn

The berries are bitter and mildly toxic when raw, but safe when cooked. Traditionally, they’re used for rowan & apple jelly, jams, and sauces.

Rowan in Ogham ✨

Rowan corresponds to the Ogham letter Luis (ᚂ).
It is traditionally associated with:
• Protection
• Insight
• Thresholds
• Spiritual awareness

In Celtic folklore, Rowan was known as the “Witch Tree.” Twigs were placed above doorways and crosses were made to guard homes and livestock from harm.

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