Aria edulis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Aria |
Species: | A. edulis
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Binomial name | |
Aria edulis (Willd.) M.Roem.
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Distribution map | |
Synonyms | |
List
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Aria edulis, the whitebeam or common whitebeam,[2] is a species of deciduous tree in the family Rosaceae. It is native to most of Europe as well as North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) and temperate Asia (Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia).[3] Typically compact and domed, with few upswept branches and almost-white underside of the leaves, it generally favours dry limestone and chalk soils. The hermaphrodite cream-white flowers appear in May, are insect pollinated, and go on to produce scarlet berries, which are often eaten by birds.[4]
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] It has a high capacity to form new shoots around the trunk.