Common whitebeamJon Mortin, CC BY 4.0
Common whitebeam
HawthornAndrew Skotnicki, CC BY 4.0
Hawthorn
Lookalikes

Common whitebeam or hawthorn?

Both have flat white flower heads in May and red fruit after, so they look alike across a field.

The quickest check

The quickest check is the outline. Common whitebeam: one oval, to 12 cm, unevenly toothed. Hawthorn: small, to 6 cm, three to seven deep lobes. No leaves on the tree? Check the bare shoot.

At a glance

Look atCommon whitebeamHawthorn
OutlineOne oval, to 12 cm, unevenly toothedSmall, to 6 cm, three to seven deep lobes
Bare shootCone-shaped buds to 15 mm, set singlyThorns 1 to 2 cm, a small bud beside each
Seeds inside a fruitTwo seeds in dry, mealy dull red fleshOne stony pip in a red haw
Whole treeA narrow dome, flashing white in any breezeA dense, stiff, twiggy mass, thorny all through

Four ways to tell them apart

OutlineLeaves
Common whitebeam: outline
Common whitebeamOne oval, to 12 cm, unevenly toothed
Hawthorn: outline
HawthornSmall, to 6 cm, three to seven deep lobes
Bare shootTwigs and buds
Common whitebeam: bare shootJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0
Common whitebeamCone-shaped buds to 15 mm, set singly
Hawthorn: bare shootShawn O'Donnell, CC BY 4.0
HawthornThorns 1 to 2 cm, a small bud beside each
Seeds inside a fruitBerries
Common whitebeamTwo seeds in dry, mealy dull red flesh
HawthornOne stony pip in a red haw
Whole treeShape
Common whitebeam: whole treeJon Mortin, CC BY 4.0
Common whitebeamA narrow dome, flashing white in any breeze
Hawthorn: whole treeAndrew Skotnicki, CC BY 4.0
HawthornA dense, stiff, twiggy mass, thorny all through
Think you can tell them apart now? Try the tree quiz: real photographs, and what gives each tree away.Take the quiz

The two trees

Common whitebeam

Sorbus aria

Common whitebeam is a narrow-domed tree on stiff, steep branches, with oval, toothed leaves that are white and fuzzy underneath. In any breeze the whole crown flashes white.

How to identify common whitebeam →

Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

Hawthorn is a dense, thorny shrub or small tree with little, deeply lobed leaves. It is white with blossom from early May and red with haws in autumn.

How to identify hawthorn →

Their other lookalikes

Common whitebeamRowanCommon whitebeam or rowan?Quickest check: the blades on one stalkCommon whitebeamHornbeamCommon whitebeam or hornbeam?Quickest check: the trunkCommon whitebeamWhite poplarCommon whitebeam or white poplar?Quickest check: the leaf outlineHawthornAppleHawthorn or apple?Quickest check: the outlineHawthornBlackthornHawthorn or blackthorn?Quickest check: the flowers and leaves, and whenHawthornCrab appleHawthorn or crab apple?Quickest check: the outline of a leafHawthornField mapleHawthorn or field maple?Quickest check: the bare shootHawthornMidland hawthornHawthorn or Midland hawthorn?Quickest check: the depth of the lobesHawthornRowanHawthorn or rowan?Quickest check: the whole leafHawthornPearHawthorn or pear?Quickest check: the outline of a leaf
In the app

See them side by side in Treely

  • Both trees, part by partLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed through the year
  • Every lookalike side by sideThe checks that settle it, for every pair people mix up
  • A short round each dayUntil you can tell them apart at a glance
  • The full GuideBoth trees written up in full, with where to find them
App StoreGoogle Play

Free to download.

Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.

Photographs: Jon Mortin (CC BY 4.0), Andrew Skotnicki (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), Shawn O'Donnell (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.