Sorbus aria
| Sorbus aria | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 39' |
| Width: | 26' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Sorbus aria (common name: whitebeam)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1][2]. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in an outdoor seedbed[1][2]. Stored seed germinates better if given 2 weeks warm then 14 - 16 weeks cold stratification[3], so sow it as early in the year as possible. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Seedlings are very slow to put on top-growth for their first year or two[4], but they are busy building up a good root system. It is best to keep them in pots in a cold frame for their first winter and then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most reasonably good soils in an open sunny position[4]. Tolerates acid sands and thin chalky soils[3][5]. Does well on heavy clays[5]. Tolerates light shade[6], though it fruits better in a sunny position[K]. Very tolerant of atmospheric pollution and of exposed maritime positions[7].
The whitebeam is one of the first colonizers of chalk scrub[7]. As well as being a good pioneer species for this situation, it will often survive through the development to woodland[7].
There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value[6].
Trees cast a fairly dense shade when mature[7].
Regenerating well after cutting, it is suitable for coppicing[7].
The fruit is very attractive to birds[4].
Plants are susceptible to fireblight[6].
Range: Central and S. Europe, from Britain and France to Spain, east to Macedonia and Transylvania.
Habitat: Woods and scrub, usually on chalk or limestone[8][9][10][11].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked and used in preserves etc. The fruit is usually bletted if it is going to be eaten raw[12][8][13][14][15][16]. This involves storing the fruit in a cool dry place until it is almost but not quite going rotten. At this stage the fruit has a delicious taste, somewhat like a luscious tropical fruit[K]. Fruit from some trees has a pleasant mild flavour and a mealy texture, we like eating small quantities of it. The fruit can also be dried and ground into a powder and mixed with cereals such as wheat[12][17][18]. The fruit is about 10 - 12mm across[5].
Medicinal: Both the flowers and the fruit are mildly diuretic, laxative and emmenagogue[9]. An infusion is used in the treatment of painful menstruation, constipation and kidney disorders[9].
Usage: Very tolerant of exposed maritime conditions, it makes a good windbreak tree near the coast[19][5].
A useful pioneer species, especially on chalky soils and in windy situations[7][K].
Wood - hard, heavy, close grained. Used for beams etc[4][15].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The seeds probably contain hydrogen cyanide. This is the ingredient that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. Unless the seed is very bitter it should be perfectly safe in reasonable quantities. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown
Also Known As: Aria nivea. Crataegus aria. Pyrus aria.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural Station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, 1984.