Tall (to 30 m) to small trees or shrubs; bark smooth or flaky; twigs very variable, from very stout and stiff to thin and flexible. Buds, shortly ovate to conic, with a variable number of bud scales visible. Leaves simple or pinnately divided, spirally arranged. Inflorescence a panicle, corymbose to pyramidal; flowers more or less perigynous, calyx lobes triangular deltoid, sometimes gland toothed but otherwise entire, green with leaf-like texture (with distinct midrib) or fleshy (with midrib not distinct) in fruit; petals white to pink to crimson, clawed; stamens usually 20; carpels 2—5, remarkably variable in degree of fusion with receptacle and to one another. Fruit a berry-like pome, green to orange-red or crimson to white, from 5.5-15 mm; seeds usually flattened ovoid.
In Pakistan subgenus Aria is represented by S. lanata, while subgenus Sorbus is represented by S. tianshanica of the red-fruited group and five apomictic microspecies of three of the species groups of the white-crimson fruited species group. The three named and one un-named microspecies of the S. cashmiriana group may be rather difficult to distinguish in the herbarium, though the living trees are not difficult to identify. More microspecies, especially of the S. cashmiriana group, are likely to be present.