Aria meierottii is an apomictic speciesSorbus meierottii N. Mey. Meierotts Mehlbeere. (n.d.). Botanischer Informationsknoten Bayern. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://daten.bayernflora.de/de/info_pflanzen.php?taxnr=26240 of tree in the family Rosaceae endemic to Bavaria, Germany.Aria meierottii (N.Mey.) Mosyakin, Fedor. & McNeill. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77371500-1 It is extremely rareSorbus meierottii N. Mey. (2026, January 14). Rote Liste Zentrum. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.rote-liste-zentrum.de/detailseite/?species_uuid=3ab8a5e3-5353-4553-b4d2-2301c5ba8bb7&species_organismGroup=Farn-%20und%20Bl%C3%BCtenpflanzen&q=Sorbus%20meierottii and threatened with extinction.
Description
Vegetative characteristics Aria meierottii is an up to 8 m tall, calcicolousHassler, M., Muer, T. (2024). Flora Germanica: Alle Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands in Text und Bild. Band 1-3. Germany: Verlag Regionalkultur. tree or shrub with elliptic, slightly lobed leaves with broadly cuneate to nearly rounded leaf bases. The 9 cm long, and 6.5 cm wide leaves of the long twigs have 9–10 pairs of lateral veins, which are set 7–9 mm apart.Meyer, T. (n.d.). Wellheimer Mehlbeere (Sorbus meierottii N. Meyer). Blumen in Schwaben. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.blumeninschwaben.de/Zweikeimblaettrige/Rosengewaechse/altmuehl.htm#Wellheimer%20Mehlbeere Generative characteristics The flowers have two partially fused styles. The reddish orange, globose, 12–13 mm wide accessory fruit bears numerous grey, 0.5–0.7 mm big lenticels. Cytology The chromosome count is 2n = 4x = 68Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. (n.d.). Sorbus meierottii N. Mey. Chromosomenzahlen Zur Flora Von Deutschland. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://chromosomes.senckenberg.de/item/22791 or 2n = 5x = 85.Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. (n.d.-b). Sorbus meierottii N. Mey. Chromosomenzahlen Zur Flora Von Deutschland. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://chromosomes.senckenberg.de/item/22790
Taxonomy It was first described as Sorbus meierottii in 2005.Sorbus meierottii N.Mey. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/77070669-1 It was moved to the genus Aria as Aria meierottii 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 meierottii (N.Mey.) Mosyakin, Fedor. & McNeill. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.ipni.org/n/77371500-1 The type specimen was collected by H. Schuwerk and O. Angerer on a forest edge at a hill near Wellheim, Germany on the 18 of June 2001. Etymology The specific epithet meierottii honours the German botanist Lenz Meierott.Blaich, G. (n.d.). Sorbus meierottii N.MEY. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://guenther-blaich.de/pflseite.php?par=Sorbus+meierottii&abs=pflfmros&lan=x&grp=a
Distribution and habitat It is endemic to Wellheim in Bavaria, Germany, where it occurs in a small area of only 17 km2 on the margins of deciduous forest and on rocks at elevations of 400–500 m above sea level.
Conservation It is a critically endangered species with a small population of only 20 saplings and 40 mature trees. It is cultivated in the ex situ conservation collection of the Botanischer Garten der Universität Regensburg.Botanische Gärten und andere Halter. (n.d.). Verband Botanischer Gärten. Retrieved October 1, 2026, from https://www.verband-botanischer-gaerten.de/Arbeitsgruppen/Botanischer_Artenschutz/Botanische_Gaerten_und_andere_Halter.html
References