Eugenia hispidiflora Sobral & M.C.Souza

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 : 38-40

23. Eugenia hispidiflora Sobral & M.C.Souza (in Sobral & Souza 2015: 444). ( Fig. 13C .)

Shrubs 1.5–3 m tall. Twigs hispid when young, glabrescent; trichomes brownish. Young leaves hispid; trichomes brownish. Leaves sessile or with petioles up to 2 mm long, terete, hispid; blades 65–155 × 25–50 mm, elliptic, narrow-elliptic or lanceolate, concolorous when dry, not glaucous and hispid or glabrous adaxially and hispid in the proximal region of the midvein abaxially; bases cordate; apices acute or acuminate; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, hispid on both surfaces; secondary veins 8–14 at each side, slightly raised adaxially and raised abaxially, the first pair confluent with the marginal innermost vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 3–5 mm from the revolute, sometimes undulate, and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous adaxially and slightly raised abaxially. Inflorescences, sometimes solitary flowers, axillary or terminal, fasciculate, sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, rachis up to 1 mm long, hispid; bracts ca. 0.5 mm long, ovate, ciliate, deciduous before anthesis; 2–8 flowers; pedicels 4–15.5 mm long, hispid; bracteoles 0.5–1 mm long, free, ovate, apices acute, hispid, not reflexed, persistent in the fruits; trichomes brownish. Flower buds 1–2.5 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, hispid hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free, 3–5 × 2.5–3 mm, oblong, apices obtuse or rounded, hispid; petals 4, oblong, oil glands evident; staminal ring glabrous or puberulent; stamens with filaments 3–6 mm, anthers oblong; style ca. 5 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 10–12 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 6–10 × 5–9.5 mm, globose, smooth, hispid, red when ripe; seeds 1 per fruit, ca. 6 × 7 mm, globose, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Estrada Jueirana facão, aceiro com café dois irmãos, 11 January 2008, fl., M.C. Souza 571 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, UB!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana facão, 08 February 2007, fr., G.S. Siqueira 297 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Estrada Municipal do MME, 05 January 2010, fl., D.A. Folli 6526 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!) ; ibid., 08 January 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5439 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., 28 November 2002, fl., D.A. Folli 4431 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, UB!) ; ibid., próximo ao café dois irmãos, 31 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 938 (ESA!) .

Additional specimens examined: — BRASIL, Espírito Santo: Sooretama, Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, Trilha próximo ao alojamento, 22 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 747 (ESA!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia hispidiflora is known from collections from the state of Espírito Santo and probably endemic to the Tabuleiro forest in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is found in the Mata Alta vegetation, growing in the understory.

Phenology: —Flowering in November through January; fruiting in February ( Fig. 4 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae due to its fascicle inflorescences and bracteoles persistent after anthesis. Eugenia hispidiflora is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus in RNV by its leaves with cordate base and the presence of hispid indumentum on the young twigs, petioles, leaf blades, and especially in the floral structures and fruits.Another remarkable feature of this plant when fresh is its strong pleasant smell, where the vernacular name “araçá-cheiroso” comes from.

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 13. A. Flowering branch of Eugenia florida (K.S. Valdemarin s.n.), B. Flowering branch of Eugenia guanabarina (A. Giaretta s.n.), C. Flowering branch of Eugenia hispidiflora (K.S. Valdemarin 747), D. Fruiting branch of Eugenia infuscata (K.S. Valdemarin 1226).