Common whitebeam
Sorbus ariaCommon 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 →
Jon Mortin, CC BY 4.0
Lookalikes
Common whitebeam or white poplar?
Both flash white when the wind turns their leaves over.
The quickest check
The quickest check is the leaf outline. Common whitebeam: undivided oval, uneven teeth on slight lobes. White poplar: five lobes like a maple, on a flattened stalk. No leaves on the tree? Check the trunk.
At a glance
| Look at | Common whitebeam | White poplar |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf outline | Undivided oval, uneven teeth on slight lobes | Five lobes like a maple, on a flattened stalk |
| Trunk | Grey and smooth, a few shallow splits with age | Pale grey, pitted with lines of black diamonds |
Two ways to tell them apart
Leaf outlineLeaves
TrunkBark
The two trees
White poplar
Populus albaWhite poplar is a leaning tree, often with young shoots coming up from the roots around it. Its leaves have a thick white fuzz underneath that lasts all season.
How to identify white poplar →
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
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), johnt77 (CC0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), hjcjim (CC BY 4.0), Eric Tittley (CC BY 4.0), Logan (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.