Family: rožnice (Rosaceae)
Flowering time: May–June
Size: up to 15 m
Habitat: sunny slopes, light forests and rocky places
Common whitebeam (Sorbus aria) grows into a shrub or tree. Its shoots are without thorns. It is leafed with thin, simple leaves with a double-toothed margin. On the top they are glossy, dark green, underneath they are densely white-woolly. They are 10 to 15 cm long, 4 to 9 cm wide; widest in the middle or in the lower half and have 10 to 14 pairs of lateral veins. Small, white five-petaled flowers have petals much longer than the calyx and form many-flowered inflorescences. Broadly oval fruits in red or orange color are 8 to 15 mm long.
Common whitebeam grows on barren soils in sunny, moderately warm habitats. With the exception of the northeastern part, it is widespread throughout Slovenia. Because it flowers profusely and yields nectar, bees frequently visit it, especially as a windbreak and also as an ornament, and it is planted in hedges. In addition, its fruits are edible and you can squeeze juice from them or cook them into compote or jam.
