Swedish whitebeamNathan Van Cooten, CC BY 4.0
Introduced, naturalised · Up to 20 m

Swedish whitebeam

Sorbus intermedia · Rosaceae

Swedish whitebeam is a tough tree with a domed crown, planted along streets and in parks. Its oval leaves have rounded lobes near the base and a fuzzy grey underside.

Know it byLeavesOval, rounded lobes near the base, a fuzzy grey underside.Flower headsFive petals, 15 to 20 mm, heads 8 to 12 cm on fuzzy stalks.BerriesOval, scarlet, about 15 mm long.

Then check · ShapeA dome of stout, twisting branches spreading close to level, with the lowest often drooping to the ground.

How to identify a Swedish whitebeam

Swedish whitebeam: leaves
Leaves

Oval, with rounded, toothed lobes near the base that fade to jagged teeth at the tip, and a fuzzy grey underside.

Flower heads

Creamy white, 15 to 20 mm across with five petals, in broad, flat heads 8 to 12 cm wide on fuzzy stalks.

Swedish whitebeam: berries
Berries

Oval, scarlet and about 15 mm long, clearly longer than broad and freckled with many small specks.

Learn the Swedish whitebeam in TreelyEvery part through the year, and a short round each day until you know it.Get Treely

Every part, in photographs

Swedish whitebeam leaves: lobed oval leaf, a coat of grey hairs beneath
LeavesLobed oval leaf, a coat of grey hairs beneath
Swedish whitebeam berries: oval scarlet berries, freckled with small specks
BerriesOval scarlet berries, freckled with small specks
Swedish whitebeam shape: domed crown on stout spreading branchesNathan Van Cooten, CC BY 4.0
ShapeDomed crown on stout spreading branches

When to look

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In leaf
Flowers
Berries

In leaf: April to November · Flowers: May to June · Berries: June to October

Every tree on the calendar

Where you’ll find it

Mostly planted, along streets and avenues and in town parks and gardens. Wild ones grow from seed that birds carry into woods, cliffs, hedges, rocky pasture, limestone pavement and rough ground, mostly on lime-rich soils. They grow as high as 540 m, in Breconshire.

What it’s mistaken for

  • Common whitebeamBoth have hairy undersides to their leaves, and they are planted in the same streets. Leaf. Swedish whitebeam: rounded lobes near the base, fading to teeth. Common whitebeam: a toothed oval, only slight round lobes.
  • RowanBoth carry flat, creamy white flower heads in spring and red berries after, on trees of much the same size. Leaf. Swedish whitebeam: one oval blade, lobed round the edge. Rowan: 13 to 15 separate leaflets on one stalk.
  • Sessile oakBoth have a lobed leaf of much the same outline. Leaf. Swedish whitebeam: a close coat of grey hairs all over. Sessile oak: hairs along the centre line and main veins.
  • Wild service treeBoth have lobed leaves, and they belong to the same family. Leaf. Swedish whitebeam: a close coat of grey hairs all over. Wild service tree: green, and smooth once the leaf hardens.

More cherries, hawthorns, rowans and apples

AppleMalus domesticaBlackthornPrunus spinosaCherry laurelPrunus laurocerasusCherry plumPrunus cerasiferaCommon whitebeamSorbus ariaCrab appleMalus sylvestrisHawthornCrataegus monogynaMidland hawthornCrataegus laevigata
In the app

There’s more of the Swedish whitebeam in Treely

  • Every part, through the yearLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed in every season
  • Its lookalikes, side by sideThe checks that settle it, part by part
  • A short round each dayUntil you know the Swedish whitebeam on sight, from any side
  • Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely tells you which tree
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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: Nathan Van Cooten (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), bobwardell (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.