Whitebeam (Sorbus Aria)
The Whitebeam is a small, deciduous tree with a wide, dense crown growing up to 15m high.
Identifying features: A grey, shallowly fissured bark. When the buds are opening in spring, showing the silvery-white undersides of the leaves, the whole tree seems to be covered in flowers, but these arrive later in May. The round berries, 8-15mm across, are green at first, but change to bright scarlet when ripe in September.
The hard wood from the Whitebeam was used for making cogs for machines before being replaced by iron. The fruits are popular with birds and squirrels, having a better pulp/seed ratio than the otherwise similar Rowan fruit.
The 'beam' of Whitebeam comes from the German 'baum'—a tree—and a white tree it is. The Anglo Saxons used it as a boundary marker.
Please click on another tree below for more specific information: