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.
