Eugenia batingabranca Sobral (1987: 23)

Valdemarin, Karinne Sampaio, Mazine, Fiorella F. & Souza, Vinicius Castro, 2024, Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Reserva Natural Vale, Espírito Santo, a center of plant endemism in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, Phytotaxa 651 (1), pp. 1-79 : 22-23

8. Eugenia batingabranca Sobral (1987: 23) . ( Fig. 8D .)

Trees 13–18 m tall. Twigs pubescent when young, glabrescent; trichomes ochraceous and shiny. Young leaves pubescent, glabrescent; trichomes ochraceous and shiny. Leaves with petioles 5.5–9 mm long, terete or flat adaxially, glabrous; blades 60–115 × 25–55 mm, elliptic or lanceolate, discolorous when dry, lighter abaxially, not glaucous and puberulent to glabrate adaxially and pubescent abaxially with trichomes shining under magnification; bases obtuse or attenuate; apices obtuse, sometimes acuminate; midvein slightly sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrate adaxially and pubescent abaxially; secondary veins 13–17 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal innermost vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 3.5–6 mm from the plane and without thickening margin; oil glands slightly raised adaxially and usually inconspicuous abaxially. Inflorescences axillary or ramiflorous, fascicle, sessile or with peduncle up to 1 mm long, rachis up to 1 mm long, pubescent; bracts ca. 1 mm long, ovate, pubescent, deciduous at anthesis; 2–6 flowers; pedicels 3.5–7 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 1.5–2 mm long, free, ovate, apices obtuse, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; trichomes ochraceous. Flower buds 2.5–3 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free in the bud, 3–4 × 2.5–3 mm, ovate or oblong, apices obtuse, puberulent; petals 4, obovate, oil glands inconspicuous; staminal ring pubescent; stamens with filaments 3–5 mm, anthers oblong; style 5–6.5 mm, pubescent, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 16–20 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 7–13 × 7–12 mm, globose or oblate, smooth, pubescent, purple when ripe; seeds 1–2 per fruit, 5–11 × 5–10.5 mm, globose, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Mun. Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Milanês , 20 January 1984, fl., D.A. Folli 489 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, UEC! (mixed with E. beaurepairiana )) ; ibid., 31 August 1982, fr., I.A. Silva 339 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, RB!, SORO!, UEC!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 04 June 2013, fr., D.A. Folli 7073 (CVRD!, SORO!, SPSF!, UEC! (right side sheet)) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha , 14 September 1982, fr. D.A. Folli 393 (BHCB, CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 12 March 1982, fl., D.A. Folli 365 (BHCB, CVRD!, RB!); Trilha do Pequi Vinagreiro , 13 December 2016, st., K.S. Valdemarin 459 (ESA!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia batingabranca is known from collections from the state of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to São Paulo in the Atlantic rainforest of southeastern Brazil. In the RNV, the species is mainly found in the Mata Alta vegetation, growing in the understory.

Phenology: —Flowering in January through March; fruiting in June through September ( Fig. 4 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae due to its fascicle inflorescences and bracteoles persistent in fruit. Eugenia batingabranca is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus by its ochraceous and shiny (resembling glitter) indumentum on young twigs and abaxial surface of leaf blades.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Phenological diagram of Eugenia species from Reserva Natural Vale, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Flowering periods are represented by dark red border triangles, fruiting in grey filled triangles, and “n” is the number of observations.

FIGURE 8. A. Fruiting branch of Eugenia astringens (K.S. Valdemarin 178), B. Flowering branch of E. atlantica (K.S. Valdemarin 772), C. Flowering branch of E. bahiensis (K.S. Valdemarin 458), D. Fruiting branch of E. batingabranca (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.).