How do you recognise Whitebeam (Sorbus aria)?

Leaf

Yoan Martin, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Whitebeam

Sorbus aria (L.) Crantz

Also known as: Common whitebeam

Family: Rosaceae

10 to 15 m tall, sometimes up to 20 m

Limestone slopes, open mountain woodland

Flowering: May

Full sun

Part shade

Very hardy, to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The white, felted underside of the leaves shimmers in the wind, like a white poplar. Whitebeam has simple, ovate leaves that are only toothed, with a very white, felted underside. Wild service tree has distinctly lobed leaves, recalling those of a maple, and a much less white underside.

🍃 Leaves

Ovate, simple, toothed, white and felted beneath

🌸 Flowers

White corymbs

🍎 Fruits

Small round to ovoid fruits, about 1 cm, orange to orange-red when ripe, borne in clusters; edible once bletted.

🪵 Bark

Grey, smooth

🗺️ Distribution

Europe, from southern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean basin; fairly common on limestone soils in France, especially in woodland and on slopes

🐝 Value for pollinators

Spring flowering in white corymbs rich in nectar and pollen, attractive to bees and various foraging insects

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted as an urban street tree for its tolerance of drought and pollution, also as a specimen or in country hedges

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity; fruits (whitebeam berries) edible once bletted

⚠️ Look-alike species

Whitebeam

Sorbus aria

Wild service tree

Sorbus torminalis

Whitebeam has simple, ovate leaves that are only toothed, with a very white, felted underside. Wild service tree has distinctly lobed leaves, recalling those of a maple, and a much less white underside.

🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.