Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) De Candolle (1828: 267)

Amorim, Gabriela Dos Santos, Barbosa, Maria Regina De Vasconcellos, Jr, Eduardo Bezerra De Almeida & Thomas, William Wayt, 2022, Taxonomic study of Myrtaceae in forest fragments in Amazonian Maranhão, Brazil, Phytotaxa 568 (1), pp. 27-60 : 41

15. Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) De Candolle (1828: 267) .

Basionym:— Myrtus punicifolia Kunth (1823: 149) .

Type:— VENEZUELA. Monte Impossible , F. W. H. Humboldt & A. Bonpland 273 (holotype: P [00679193], image) . ( Fig 2 L-M.)

Shrubs 0.9–2.5 m. Twigs pubescent, the indumentum whitish. Leaves with petioles 3 mm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, shallowly channeled; blades elliptic to broadly so, obovate or oblong, 4.7–8.9 × 2.2–4.5 cm, glabrous, chartaceous, concolorous; glands conspicuous; base cuneate or rounded; apex acute, acuminate or cuneate; midvein adaxially impressed; lateral veins visible, not arched, 6 to 12 pairs; intra-marginal vein 1–3 mm or less from the margin, margin flat. Inflorescence axillary, a fascicle, sometimes visible only two flowers per axis, the axis frequently inconspicuous, when visible ca. 1 mm long; bracts lanceolate, 0.6 × 4 mm, pubescent, persistent in the fruit; pedicels 18–26 mm long, glabrous; bracteoles orbicular, 0.3 × 2 mm, glabrescent, persistent in the fruit; flower buds globose, 3–4 × 3–6 mm, not constricted above ovary; calyx-lobes free, four, orbicular or oblong, 1.5–2 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; ovary 2–locular. Immature fruit subglobose or ellipsoid, 0.5–1 × 0.7–0.8 cm, glabrous, surface smooth.

Note:— Eugenia punicifolia may be recognized by its glabrous or sparsely pubescent leaves with an intra-marginal vein 1–3 mm from the margin; the inflorescence forming a fascicle with a very short axis (ca. 1 mm long), sometimes with only two flowers visible; its orbicular or oblong calyx lobes; and it’s subglobose or ellipsoid fruits, which are glabrous and have a smooth surface.

Distribution and habitat:— Widely distributed in South America, including Brazil, where it occurs in all states, except Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (POWO 2020, Flora do Brasil 2020). In Amazonian Maranhão, E. punicifolia was found growing in secondary and flooded forests.

Phenology:— Flowering in June, July and September and fruiting in January, November and December.

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Maranhão: Maracassumé– Sta. Helena, Fazenda Maracaçumé , 1°39’48” S, 45°22’18” W, 01 December 1978 (fr.), N.A. Rosa 2824 ( NY!) . Grajaú, Estrada do Arame , 5°49’10” S, 46°08’19” W, 15 May 1983 (fr.), M.F. Silva & E.L. Taylor 1146 ( IAN!) . São Luís, 2°31’47”, 44°18’10” W, 08 May 1989 (fl., fr.), M. Ferreira 97 (ESA, image); Reserva Florestal da Sacavém , 09 January 1992 (fr.), F.H. Muniz 03 (RB, image); 2°30’ S, 44°15’ W, 05 May 1992 (fr.), F.H. Muniz 87 (INPA, image); 07 May 1992 (fl.), F.H. Muniz 99 (RB, image); Sede do CEMAR, 2°30’32” S, 44°15’49” W, 27 November 1985 (fl., fr.), G.T. Prance & R. Henrique 29896 ( MAR!) ; Sítio Santa Eulália , 2°30’30” S, 44°16’39” W, 16 September 2017 (fr.), G.S. Amorim 401 ( MAR!) ; G.S. Amorim 455 (MAR!); 8º Batalhão da Polícia Militar , 2°33’19” S, 44°15’55” W, 07 April 2018 (st.), G.S. Amorim 487 ( MAR!) ; 2°29’49” S, 44°16’43” W, 15 June 2018 (fl., fr), G.S. Amorim 508 ( MAR!) .

Additional specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Pará: Serra do Cachimbo, BR 163, Cuiabá-Santarém Highway , Cachoeira de Curuá , 8°44’12” S, 54°57’52” W, 04 November 1977 (fl.), G.T. Prance P24782 ( NY!) . Roraima: Ilha de Maracá, on road between SEMA Estação and Boa Vista , 14 km from Island , Alto Alegre , 3°18’ N, 61°19’59” W, 17 June 1986 (fl.), M.J.G. Hopkins 825 ( NY!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–B. Flower buds and flowers in Calycolpus goetheanus. C–D. Flowers in Eugenia biflora. E–F. Flower buds and immature fruits in E. caducibracteata. G. Immature fruit in E. densiracemosa. H. Immature fruits in E. flavescens. I. Immature fruits in E. patens. J. Immature fruits in E. polystachya. K. Flowers in E. protenta. L–M. Flower buds and flowers in E. punicifolia. N–P. Flower buds, flowers and immature fruits in E. stictopetala.