Aria edulis

Aria edulis, the whitebeam or common whitebeam,^[2] is a species of deciduous tree in the family Rosaceae.

Aria edulis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Aria
Species:	A. edulis
Binomial name
Aria edulis (Willd.) M.Roem.
Distribution map
Synonyms
List Aria nivea var. edulis (Willd.) Koehne Hahnia aria var. edulis (Willd.) Dippel Pyrus aria proles edulis (Willd.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus edulis Willd. Sorbus aria subsp. edulis (Willd.) Sved., Alm & Örtendahl Sorbus aria var. edulis (Willd.) Wenz. Sorbus edulis (Willd.) K.Koch Aria alpina M.Roem. Aria aria (L.) Huth Aria majestica Lavallée Aria nivea Host Aria nivea var. acutifolia (Ser.) M.Roem. Aria nivea acutifolia (Ser.) Gren. Aria nivea var. angustifolia (Lindl.) M.Roem. Aria nivea var. bullata (Lindl.) M.Roem. Aria nivea f. cyclophylla Beck Aria nivea var. glabrata (G.Kirchn.) Lavallée Aria nivea var. incisa (Mutel) M.Roem. Aria nivea var. lanata Lavallée Aria nivea var. latifolia Lavallée Aria nivea latifolia Gren. Aria nivea var. longifolia (Pers.) Gren. Aria nivea var. rugosa (Lindl.) M.Roem. Aria nivea proles tomentosa (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Bonnier Aria nivea var. undulata (Lindl.) M.Roem. Aria tomentosa (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Bonnier Aria vulgaris Decne. Aronia alpina (M.Roem.) Dippel × Aroniaria alpina (M.Roem.) Mezhenskyj Azarolus aria (L.) Borkh. Chamaemespilus aria (L.) M.Roem. Crataegus alpina Gray Crataegus aria L. Crataegus pallida Salisb. Hahnia aria (L.) Medik. Hahnia aria var. angustifolia (Lindl.) Dippel Hahnia aria f. aurea Hesse ex Dippel Hahnia aria carpinifolia (J.R.Booth ex G.Kirchn.) Dippel Hahnia aria glabrata (G.Kirchn.) Dippel Hahnia aria microphylla Dippel Hahnia aria vestita Dippel Lazarolus aria (L.) Borkh. Malus aria (L.) Risso Mespilus aria (L.) Scop. Pyrenia aria (L.) Clairv. Pyrus alpina Willd. Pyrus aria (L.) Ehrh. Pyrus aria var. acutifolia Ser. Pyrus aria subvar. angustifolia (Lindl.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria var. angustifolia Lindl. Pyrus aria subvar. bellojocensis (Gand.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria monstr. bullata (Lindl.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria var. bullata Lindl. Pyrus aria monstr. chrysophylla Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria proles cyclophylla (Beck) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria elliptica Ten. Pyrus aria var. incisa (Mutel) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria var. longifolia (Pers.) Steud. Pyrus aria var. lutescens G.Nicholson Pyrus aria monstr. lutescens Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria subvar. parvula (C.K.Schneid.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria rosea Tausch Pyrus aria var. rosea Tausch ex Koehne Pyrus aria rotundifolia Ten. Pyrus aria var. rugosa Lindl. Pyrus aria var. silvestrii Pamp. Pyrus aria var. sulphurea G.Nicholson Pyrus aria proles typica Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus aria var. undulata Lindl. Pyrus aria' monstr. 'undulata (Lindl.) Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus carpatica Asch. & Graebn. Pyrus crenata K.Koch × Sorbaronia alpina (M.Roem.) C.K.Schneid. Sorbus acutiloba Gand. Sorbus alpina Heynh. Sorbus ararica Gand. Sorbus aria (L.) Crantz Sorbus aria f. acutifolia (DC.) Kárpáti Sorbus aria var. acutifolia (DC.) Jáv. Sorbus aria proles acutifolia (Ser.) Rouy & E.G.Camus Sorbus aria var. alnoides Timb.-Lagr. Sorbus aria var. amplifolia Rouy & E.G.Camus Sorbus aria f. angustifolia (Lindl.) Buia Sorbus aria var. angustifolia Lindl. Sorbus aria var. arioides (Godet) Timb.-Lagr. Sorbus aria f. aurea (Hesse ex Rehder) Rehder Sorbus aria var. aurea Hesse ex Rehder Sorbus aria f. bullata (Lindl.) Buia Sorbus aria var. canescens Legrand Sorbus aria var. carpatica Soó Sorbus aria var. carpinifolia J.R.Booth ex G.Kirchn. Sorbus aria subsp. carpinifolia (J.R.Booth ex G.Kirchn.) Hedl. Sorbus aria f. carpinifolia (J.R.Booth ex G.Kirchn.) Kovanda Sorbus aria f. chrysophylla Hesse Sorbus aria var. cinerea Timb.-Lagr. Sorbus aria var. concolor Albov Sorbus aria var. cyclophylla (Beck) C.K.Schneid. Sorbus aria subsp. cyclophylla (Beck) Soó Sorbus aria f. cyclophylla (Beck) Jáv. Sorbus aria var. denticulata Waisb. Sorbus aria var. detrusa Hedl. ex Issler Sorbus aria var. ellipticifolia Timb.-Lagr. Sorbus aria subsp. euaria Hayek Sorbus aria var. glabra Albov Sorbus aria glabrata W.D.J.Koch ex S.Schauer Sorbus aria grandifolia K.Koch Sorbus aria f. incisa (Mutel) Jáv. Sorbus aria var. incisa Albov Sorbus aria var. incisa Mutel Sorbus aria subsp. incisa (Mutel) Hedl. Sorbus aria var. kamaonensis Wall. ex Maxim. Sorbus aria var. lachnophylla Murr Sorbus aria var. lanifera A.Kern. ex Borbás Sorbus aria subsp. lanifera (A.Kern. ex Borbás) Jáv. Sorbus aria var. latifolia (Gren.) Kárpáti Sorbus aria subsp. longifolia (Pers.) Hedl. Sorbus aria f. longifolia (Pers.) Rehder Sorbus aria var. longifolia Pers. Sorbus aria f. lutescens (Hartwig) Zabel Sorbus aria var. lutescens Hartwig Sorbus aria f. macrocarpa Konovalov Sorbus aria f. magnifica Hesse Sorbus aria f. matrensis Soó Sorbus aria var. microphylla Timb.-Lagr. Sorbus aria f. obtusa Kárpáti Sorbus aria var. obtusata Gren. Sorbus aria obtusata Gren. Sorbus aria var. ovoidea Chabert Sorbus aria f. parvula C.K.Schneid. Sorbus aria f. pendula Konovalov Sorbus aria f. pseudocretica Soó Sorbus aria var. pseudomougeotii Issler Sorbus aria f. rotundata Düll Sorbus aria var. sphaerica Chabert Sorbus aria var. tomentosa (Rouy & E.G.Camus) P.Fourn. Sorbus aria subsp. tomentosa Rouy & E.G.Camus Sorbus aria var. typica C.K.Schneid. Sorbus arioides (Godet) Michalet Sorbus arvernensis Gand. Sorbus austriaca subsp. serpentini Kárpáti Sorbus bellojocensis Gand. Sorbus budaiana Kárpáti Sorbus carpatica (Soó) Kárpáti Sorbus carpinifolia (J.R.Booth ex G.Kirchn.) Prain Sorbus chamaemespilus var. arioides Godet Sorbus controversa Gand. Sorbus glabrata G.Kirchn. Sorbus globulifera Hedl. ex Ridd. Sorbus huljakii Kárpáti Sorbus incisa (Mutel) Prain Sorbus longifolia (Pers.) Prain Sorbus oblonga Gand. Sorbus pallidifolia Gand. Sorbus reverchonii Gand. Sorbus scandica subsp. arioides (Godet) Nyman Sorbus sphaerocarpa Gand. Sorbus tomentosa (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Issler Sorbus turbinata Gand.

The tree often forms new shoots around the trunk. Typically compact and domed, the plant has a few upswept branches and the leaves have an almost-white underside. The hermaphrodite cream-white flowers appear in May, are insect pollinated, and go on to produce scarlet berries, which are often eaten by birds.^[3]

It is native to most of Europe as well as North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) and temperate Asia (Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia).^[4] It generally favours dry limestone and chalk soils.

The cultivars A. edulis 'Lutescens',^[5] with very whitish-green early leaves, and A. edulis 'Majestica',^[6] with large leaves, have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[7]

The berries are edible when overripe (bletted).^[8]

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