The whitebeams are members of the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbu ...

, comprising subgenus ''Aria'' (or, according to some authorities, its own genus) of genus ''

Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan ( mountain-ash) and service tree. The exact number of species is disputed dep ...

'', and hybrids involving species of this subgenus and members of subgenera ''Sorbus'', ''Torminaria'' and ''Chamaemespilus''. They are deciduous

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

s with simple or lobed leaves, arranged alternately. They are related to the

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himala ...

s (''Sorbus'' subgenus ''Sorbus''), and many of the

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

restricted-range apomictic microspecies of whitebeam in Europe are thought to derive from hybrids between ''S. aria'' and the European rowan ''S. aucuparia''; some are also thought to be hybrids with the wild service tree ''S. torminalis'', notably the service tree of Fontainebleau ''Sorbus latifolia'' in French woodlands. The best known species is the common whitebeam ''

Sorbus aria ''Sorbus aria'' ( syn. ''Aria nivea''), the whitebeam or common whitebeam, is a deciduous tree, the type species of the subgenus ''Sorbus'' subg. ''Aria'' of the genus ''Sorbus''. It is native to most of Europe as well as North Africa (Algeria, ...

'', a columnar tree which grows to tall by broad, with clusters of white flowers in spring followed by speckled red berries in autumn (fall).

Appearance

The surface of the leaf is an unremarkable mid-green, but the underside is almost white (hence the name) transforming the appearance of the tree in strong winds, as noted by the poet Meredith: "flashing as in gusts the sudden-lighted whitebeam". It is also described as the "wind-beat whitebeam" in Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem "The Starlight Night".

Ecology

The berries are a favourite of birds, though less palatable (drier, less juicy) than rowan berries. Whitebeams are sometimes used as

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

l food plants by

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described spec ...

species, including the short-cloaked moth.

Uses

These trees are often grown in parks and large gardens. The cultivars ''S. aria'' 'Lutescens' and ''S. aria'' 'Majestica' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. The tough, hard wood is a deep orange when wet, and pale yellow after drying. The fruit (a pome) is edible and is often made into jelly.

Classification

* section ''Aria'' - ''Sorbus aria'' and its close relatives * section ''Alnifoliae'' - a group of Asian species * section ''Thibeticae'' - a group of species from the Himalayas and southern China * ''Sorbus intermedia'' group (nothosubgenus ''Soraria'') - taxa of hybrid origin involving sections ''Aria'' and ''Sorbus'' * ''Sorbus latifolia'' group (nothosubgenus ''Tormaria'') - taxa of hybrid origin involving sections ''Aria'' and ''Torminaria''

Selected species

''Sorbus'' subgenus ''Aria'' *'' Sorbus admonitor'' - No parking whitebeam *'' Sorbus alnifolia'' - Korean whitebeam *'' Sorbus anglica'' - English whitebeam *''

'' - Common Whitebeam *'' Sorbus aronioides'' - Chokeberry-leaved whitebeam *'' Sorbus arranensis'' - Arran whitebeam *'' Sorbus austriaca'' *'' Sorbus bristoliensis'' - Bristol Gorge whitebeam *'' Sorbus cambrensis'' - Welsh whitebeam *'' Sorbus carpatica'' - Carpathian whitebeam *'' Sorbus cheddarensis'' - Cheddar whitebeam *'' Sorbus croceocarpa'' - Orange whitebeam *'' Sorbus cuneifolia'' - Llangollen whitebeam *'' Sorbus danubialis'' *'' Sorbus decipiens'' - Sharp-toothed whitebeam *'' Sorbus devoniensis'' - Devon whitebeam *'' Sorbus eminens'' - Round-leaved whitebeam *'' Sorbus eminentiformis'' - Doward whitebeam *'' Sorbus eminentoides'' - Twin Cliffs whitebeam *'' Sorbus folgneri'' - Folgner's whitebeam *'' Sorbus franconica'' *'' Sorbus graeca'' - Balkan whitebeam *'' Sorbus hemsleyi'' *'' Sorbus hibernica'' - Irish whitebeam *'' Sorbus hybrida'' - Finnish whitebeam, Swedish service-tree *'' Sorbus intermedia'' - Swedish whitebeam *'' Sorbus lancastriensis'' - Lancastrian whitebeam *'' Sorbus latifolia'' - Service tree of Fontainebleau *'' Sorbus leighensis'' - Leigh Woods whitebeam *'' Sorbus leptophylla'' - Thin-leaved whitebeam *'' Sorbus leyana'' - Ley's whitebeam *'' Sorbus margaretae'' - Margaret's whitebeam *'' Sorbus minima'' - Least whitebeam *'' Sorbus mougeotii'' - Vosges whitebeam *'' Sorbus parviloba'' - Ship Rock whitebeam *'' Sorbus porrigentiformis'' - Grey-leaved whitebeam *'' Sorbus pseudofennica'' - Arran service tree *''

Sorbus pseudomeinichii ''Sorbus pseudomeinichii'', known as false rowan and Catacol whitebeam, is a rare tree endemic to the Isle of Arran in south west Scotland. It is believed to have arisen as a hybrid of the native rowan (''Sorbus aucuparia'') and the cut-leaved ...

'' - False rowan *''

Sorbus rupicola ''Sorbus rupicola'', known as rock whitebeam, is a rare shrub or small tree best known from the British Isles but also reported from Norway, Sweden and Russia. Reaching heights of 10 m,''New Flora of the British Isles''; Clive Stace; Third edit ...

'' - Rock whitebeam *'' Sorbus rupicoloides'' - Gough's Rock whitebeam *'' Sorbus saxicola'' - Symonds Yat whitebeam *'' Sorbus scannelliana'' - Scannell's whitebeam *'' Sorbus stenophylla'' - Llanthony whitebeam *'' Sorbus stirtoniana'' - Stirton's whitebeam *'' Sorbus subcuneata'' - Somerset whitebeam *'' Sorbus thibetica'' - Tibetan whitebeam *'' Sorbus umbellata'' *'' Sorbus vestita'' - Himalayan whitebeam *'' Sorbus vexans'' - Bloody whitebeam *'' Sorbus whiteana'' - White's whitebeam *'' Sorbus wilmottiana'' - Wilmott's whitebeam Plus many other species *''Sorbus'' subgenus ''

'' *''Sorbus'' Other subgenera

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4244649 Sorbus