Aria edulis

Aria edulis, the whitebeam or common whitebeam, 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). 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.

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

The berries are edible when overripe (bletted). It has a high capacity to form new shoots around the trunk.