Trees · Rosaceae
Whitebeam
Sorbus aria
Spanish MostajoCatalan MoixeraNative5–15 mDeciduous
Oval leaves, green on top and flour-white underneath.
- LeafBroad and flat
- LeafYes, a single blade
- ShapeOval
- EdgeToothed
- On the twigOne at a time, staggered
- In winterNo, it loses them
- BarkSmooth
- FruitFleshy
The leaf
The leaf is oval, with a double-toothed edge and straight, well-marked side veins. The underside is covered in very dense white felt, and in the wind the tree looks silvery.
The bark
The bark is grey, smooth and thin, with small horizontal marks. On old trees it cracks a little.
The fruit
The fruits are speckled berries one to two centimetres across, red or orange, in small clusters. They ripen in autumn.
The flower
In spring it bears clusters of small white flowers, shortly after the leaves come out.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Habit
A small tree or tall shrub with a rounded crown. The buds and new shoots are whitish too.
Where it grows
It grows in mountain woods, clearings, stony slopes and at the foot of cliffs. In Catalonia it is most common in the Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees and the inland ranges.
What it can be mistaken for
The white poplar also has white undersides, but its leaves are usually lobed and it is a large riverside tree. The rowan has similar fruits, but its leaf is divided into many leaflets.
A story
Its fruits ripen in autumn and feed thrushes, blackbirds and other birds, which scatter the seeds across the hills.
Find out more
- Tree: Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bark: Hladac, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit: Julie Anne Workman, CC BY-SA 3.0