Alniaria alnifolia

Alniaria alnifolia
Foliage and flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Alniaria
Species:
A. alnifolia
Binomial name
Alniaria alnifolia
(Siebold & Zucc.) Rushforth
Synonyms
  • Aria alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Decne.
  • Aria tiliifolia Decne.
  • Crataegus alnifolia Siebold & Zucc.
  • Micromeles alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Koehne
  • Pyrus alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Franch. & Sav.
  • Pyrus miyabei Sarg.
  • Sorbus alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) K.Koch
  • Sorbus alnifolia f. oblongifolia (Nakai) W.Lee

Alniaria alnifolia (syn. Micromeles alnifolia, Sorbus alnifolia and Aria alnifolia), also called alder-leafed whitebeam or Korean whitebeam, is a species of whitebeam native to eastern Asia in eastern and northern China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.[2] Long treated in a wide interpretation of Sorbus, it was first moved to Alniaria in 2018,[3] and more recently with the other species in this genus merged into Micromeles in 2023;[4][5] this latest revision has now been accepted by the Plants of the World Online database.[6]

Description

Alniaria alnifolia is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall with a trunk up to 30 cm (12 in) diameter and grey bark; the crown is columnar or conic in young trees, becoming rounded with age, with branches angled upwards, and slender shoots. The leaves are green above, and thinly hairy with white hairs beneath, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) broad, simple, usually unlobed (but see varieties, below), broadest near the base, with serrated margins and an acute apex. The autumn colour is orange-pink to red. The flowers are 10–18 mm diameter, with five white petals and 20 yellowish-white stamens; they are produced in corymbs 4–8 cm diameter in late spring. The fruit is a globose pome 8–15 mm diameter, bright red, with a dimple at the apex; they are mature in mid autumn.[2][7]

Cultivation and uses

It is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree in northern Europe, primarily for its autumn colour. The cultivar 'Skyline' has been selected for its fastigiate growth.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Sorbus alnifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T136775581A136775583. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T136775581A136775583.en. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 Lu Lingdi and Stephen A. Spongberg. "Sorbus alnifolia". Flora of China. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Rushforth, Keith (21 December 2018). "The Whitebeam problem, and a solution" (PDF). Phytologia. 100 (4): 222–247. Retrieved 24 August 2021. Key to the genera in the Malinae
  4. ↑ Ma, Jian-Hui; Chen, Xin; Hou, Wen-Xiang; Geng, Li-Yang; Tang, Chen-Qian (2023-03-23). "Plastome phylogenomics of Micromeles (Rosaceae)". Phytotaxa. 589 (2): 179–190. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.589.2.5. ISSN 1179-3163. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  5. ↑ Hu, Junling; Tan, Baomei; Chen, Xin; Dong, Mengdie; Ma, Jianhui (2025-08-27). "Molecular phylogenetics of Micromeles (Rosaceae: Maleae): implications for taxonomy". BMC Plant Biology. 25 (1). doi:10.1186/s12870-025-07143-z. ISSN 1471-2229. PMC 12382170. PMID 40866868.
  6. ↑ "Micromeles alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Koehne". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  7. 1 2 Rushforth, Keith D. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. London: HarperCollins. pp. 216, 1140–1141. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
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