Aria (Pers.) Host

Aria contains numerous species, ranging from tall trees to shrubs, often with smooth, pale bark. It is characterised by ovoid, conical buds with many spirally arranged scales and simple, toothed leaves which have a persistent white or greyish tomentum beneath. Inflorescences are corymbose. The flowers are white, 2– to 5-merous, and with a campanulate hypanthium. The fruits (pomes) are red, and the seeds are round in cross-section. The embryos of these seeds contain germination inhibitors as they do not germinate on excision.. The type species of the genus is Aria edulis (Willd.) M. Roem., best known as Sorbus aria (L.) Crantz, the Whitebeam.

As a native genus Aria occurs throughout western Europe from the Canary Islands to the Caucasus, and the Atlas Mountains of north-west Africa. The breeding systems in Aria are just like those in Sorbus s.s., as outlined under Sorbus.