Aria eminens, commonly known as the round-leaved whitebeam, is a species of plant in the family Rosaceae. It is endemic to Great Britain and is threatened by habitat loss.
Aria eminens is broadly similar to Aria edulis. It is a shrub or small tree up to 100NaN0 tall. The undersides of the leaves are greyish-white due to the many hairs. The leaves are more or less round, usually with a length 1–1.3 times the width, rarely up to 1.5 times as long as wide; they usually have 9–11 veins on either side. The leaf margins usually have a single series of teeth ("uniserrate") although there can be evidence of a second series ("biserrate"). The fruits have many lenticels, small and large, mainly towards the base.[1]
Aria eminens is endemic to parts of south-west England and south Wales. It is considered to be native to calciferous woodland in north Somerset, west Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire.[1] It has also been recorded in Sutton Park, Birmingham, well outside its expected range, where it is assumed to have been planted originally.[2]
A. eminens is a tetraploid, resulting from hybridisation between Aria edulis and Aria porrigentiformis.[3]