Mountain Ash

Teen Wolf: Mountain Ash most likely refers to the Sorbus scopulina, a small to medium-sized deciduous tree common in Northern California. The tree, also known as Rowan, is woven throughout the folklore of many regions as a ward against evil beings, and can be generalized to any supernatural being. Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis has called Mountain Ash “magic” (The episode where Derek Hale is shot with it is called "Magic Bullet") but the mechanism through which it exerts power is unclear. Within the show, Mountain Ash is mainly used by Druids. It blocks and exhibits control over werewolves and other supernatural creatures.  Mountain ash tends to come in handy and is an easily created barrier. Ms. Morrell and Jennifer Blake are both Druids. They throw down circles of Mountain Ash dust to create a personal shield to protect them from others. Peter Hale could not pass while a balustrade made of the wood was down, completing the circle of Mountain Ash built into the Vet Clinic in Formality. Capsules filled with Mountain Ash powder and ingested by Gerard Argent after he had been bitten by Derek Hale, an alpha wolf, caused him to violently reject a werewolf bite. He was throwing up black blood and had it pouring from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth.


Real Life: Mountain ash is very general as it is used to describe multiple trees.

Eucalyptus regnans, the tallest of all flowering plants and other floral species.

Fraxinus texensis, an ash tree species in Texas.

Sorbus aucuparia, which is also known as Rowan.

The tree species "Sorbus Aucuparia" is commonly known as the American Mountain-ash. It is a deciduous perennial tree, native to eastern North America. It is a relatively small tree, reaching 40 feet. It's bark is typically a light gray and smooth texture. It later becomes smooth, brownish red, and later papery and breakable. Its wood under the bark is pale brown, soft, and close-grained but very weak.


Though the plant itself is real, Jeff Davis has a habit of manipulating common and realistic things and turning them into something of an active imagination. The mountain ash in the show is said to be some sort of magic. It is unexplained in the show how exactly mountain ash works in respects of blocking out the supernatural. The only breech of the barrier is when Scott McCall uses all of his strength and pushes through the barrier, proving himself to be the True Alpha.