Aria eystettensis, the Eichstaett whitebeam,Blaich, G. (n.d.). Sorbus eystettensis N.MEY. Retrieved September 15, 2026, from https://guenther-blaich.de/pflseite.php?par=Sorbus+eystettensis&abs=pflfmros&lan=x&grp=a is an apomictic speciesSorbus eystettensis N. Mey. Eichstätter Mehlbeere. (n.d.). Botanischer Informationsknoten Bayern. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://daten.bayernflora.de/de/info_pflanzen.php?taxnr=26235 of tree in the family Rosaceae endemic to Bavaria, GermanyAria eystettensis (N.Mey.) Mosyakin, Fedor. & McNeill. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved September 15, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77371537-1 It is extremely rareSorbus eystettensis N. Mey. (2026, January 14). Rote Liste Zentrum. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://www.rote-liste-zentrum.de/detailseite/?species_uuid=6d4ca9f3-309c-445b-b451-b182db4ff3ae and threatened with extinction.
Description
Vegetative characteristics Aria eystettensis is an up to 6–10 m tall tree or shrub. The short twigs bear ovate to rounded, 6–7 cm long leaves with lobed margins and 8–10 pairs of lateral veins, which are set 5 mm apart. The long twigs bear larger, 10–12 cm long leaves with 10–11 pairs of lateral veins, which are set 10–14 mm apart.Meyer, T. (n.d.). Eichstätter Mehlbeere (Sorbus eystettensis N. Meyer). Blumen in Schwaben. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://www.blumeninschwaben.de/Zweikeimblaettrige/Rosengewaechse/altmuehl.htm#Eichst%C3%A4tter%20Mehlbeere Generative characteristics The flat-topped inflorescence bears flowers with 2 basally fused styles. The dark orange, oval, 10 mm long accessory fruit bears small, densely packed, 0.2–0.4 mm big lenticels. Cytology The chromosome count is 2n = 3x = 51.Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. (n.d.). Sorbus eystettensis N. Mey. Chromosomenzahlen zur Flora von Deutschland. Retrieved September 15, 2026, from https://chromosomes.senckenberg.de/item/20979
Taxonomy It was first described as Sorbus eystettensis by Norbert Meyer in 2005.Sorbus eystettensis N.Mey. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved September 15, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/77070668-1 It was moved to the genus Aria as Aria eystettensis by Sergei Leonidovich Mosyakin, Mykola Mykhaylovych Fedoronchuk, and John McNeill in 2025.Mosyakin, S. L., Fedoronchuk, M. M., & McNEILL, J. (2025). Simplifying the nomenclature of Sorbus sensu lato: new nomenclatural solutions in Aria and Hedlundia (Rosaceae). Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 82(3), 206-224.Aria eystettensis (N.Mey.) Mosyakin, Fedor. & McNeill. (n.d.-b). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved September 15, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/77371537-1 The type specimen was collected on the 18th of June 2001 by H. Schuwerk and O. Angerer at the Frauenberg in Eichstätt, Germany. Etymology The specific epithet eystettensis refers to Eichstätt in Bavaria, Germany.
Distribution and habitat It is endemic to Bavaria, Germany, where it occurs in a small area of only 12 km2 in open pine forest, on the edges of deciduous forest, and in grazed grassland at elevations of 400–510 m above sea level.
Conservation It is a critically endangered species with a restricted distribution and a small population of only 30 mature trees. The habitat is managed to increase the available light for Aria eystettensis trees.Rumpel, A., Schnell, A., Höllerl, S., Thoma, S., & Hollersbacher, M. (n.d.). Die Mehlbeere im bayerischen Staatswald. Bayerisches Staatsministerium Für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft, Forsten Und Tourismus (StMELF). Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://www.lwf.bayern.de/waldbau-bergwald/waldbau/371899/index.php It doesn't have special legal protection.BfN - Bundesamt für Naturschutz. (n.d.). Sorbus eystettensis N. Mey. (Eichstätter Mehlbeere). FloraWeb. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://floraweb.de/php/artenhome.php?name-use-id=26235 It is cultivated in one ex situ conservation collection.Sorbus eystettensis N.Mey. (n.d.). BGCI PlantSearch. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://plantsearch.bgci.org/taxon/234890
References