Eugenia macrosperma De Candolle (1828: 277)

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 : 47-48

27. Eugenia macrosperma De Candolle (1828: 277) . ( Fig. 19B .)

Trees 5–15 m tall. Twigs tomentose when young; trichomes ferruginous. Young leaves tomentose; trichomes ferruginous. Leaves with petioles 7.5–17 mm long, terete, pubescent; blades 90–170 × 40–75 mm, elliptic, lanceolate or narrow-ovate, concolorous when dry, not glaucous and puberulent to glabrous adaxially and tomentose to pubescent abaxially; bases acute or attenuate; apices acuminate, caudate or acute; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrous adaxially and pubescent abaxially; secondary veins 7–11 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 3–6 mm from the plane to slightly revolute, undulate when dry, and without thickening margin; oil glands slightly evident on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary, raceme, peduncle 3.5–10 mm long, rachis up to 15 mm long, tomentose; bracts 1–3 mm long, ovate, pubescent, persistent after anthesis; (2–)4–10 flowers; pedicels up to 2 mm long or absent, pubescent; bracteoles 2–4 mm long, completely connate or at least two-thirds of length, suborbiculate, apices rounded, pubescent, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; trichomes ferruginous. Flower buds 3.5–4.5 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, tomentose hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free, 2–3 × 2–3 mm, ovate or suborbiculate, apices obtuse or rounded, pubescent; petals 4, obovate, oil glands slightly evident; staminal ring pubescent; stamens with filaments 6–8 mm, anthers oblong; style 7–7.5 mm, puberulent, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 10–14 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 7–20 × 7–20 mm, globose or ellipsoid, smooth, pubescent, purple when ripe; seeds 1 per fruit, 5.5–18 × 5–18 mm, globose, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Baldo Faé , 23 July 2007, fr., G.S. Siqueira 343 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro Calimã , 30 March 2012, fr., J.E.Q. Faria 2509 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , 1 km para o final, 24 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 796 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 01 September 1982, fr., I.A. Silva 342 (CVRD!, RB!, SORO!) ; ibid., 12 November 1990, fl., D.A. Folli 1234 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 23 January 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5477 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 7 June 2007, fr., M.C. Souza 537 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 7 June 2007, fr., M.C. Souza 539 (ESA!, MBML!, RB!) ; ibid., final, 26 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 888 (ESA!) ; ibid., km 16.3, 1 December 2006, fl., E.J. Lucas 914 (ESA!, BHCB!, K!, RB!) ; ibid., Estrada Jacarandá , 11 January 1982, fl., I.A. Silva 297 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha , 09 September 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4880 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 17 March 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4776 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia macrosperma is known from collections from the state of Bahia to Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is found in the Mata Alta vegetation, growing mainly in the understory but sometimes reaching the canopy.

Phenology: —Flowering in November through January; fruiting in March through September ( Fig. 5 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Racemosae due to its raceme inflorescence with pedicels up to twice as long as flowers internodes. Eugenia macrosperma is morphologically similar to E. brejoensis and E. disperma due to its leaf blades shape, size, apices and undulate margin, as well as by its raceme inflorescence with persistent bracts. The distinguishing features between E. macrosperma and E. brejoensis are presented in the comments under the latter species. Moreover, Eugenia macrosperma can be distinguished from E. disperma also by its terete petioles (vs. canaliculate), inflorescences with ferruginous tomentose indumentum, generally 4–10 flowers, rare 2, peduncles 3.5–10 mm long and bracteoles completely connate or at least two-thirds of length (vs. inflorescences with whitish or brownish puberulent indumentum, generally 2 flowers, rare 4, peduncles 2–2.5 mm long and bracteoles connate at bases). The species is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus in RNV by the combination of its ferruginous indumentum, raceme inflorescence with pedicels up to twice as long as flowers internodes, and connate bracteoles at least two-thirds of length, resembling like a cupula.

Figures

FIGURE 5. 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 19. A. Flowering branch of Eugenia macrantha (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), B. Flowering branch of Eugenia macrosperma (K.S. Valdemarin 796), C. Flowering branch of Eugenia melanogyna (K.S. Valdemarin 391), D. Fruiting branch of Eugenia moritziana (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.).