Eugenia beaurepairiana ( Kiaerskou 1893: 22 ) D. Legrand (1961: 308)

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 : 23

9. Eugenia beaurepairiana ( Kiaerskou 1893: 22) D. Legrand (1961: 308) . ( Fig. 9A .)

Trees 16–26 m tall. Twigs pubescent when young; trichomes brownish to whitish. Young leaves pubescent; trichomes brownish to whitish. Leaves with petioles 4–10 mm long, slightly canaliculate adaxially, puberulent; blades 45–135 × 20–45 mm, elliptic or narrow-elliptic, rarely oblanceolate, concolorous when dry, not glaucous and glabrate to glabrous adaxially and pubescent abaxially; bases attenuate, sometimes acute or obtuse; apices acuminate or caudate; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrate adaxially and pubescent abaxially; secondary veins 9–15 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal innermost vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 2.5–4 mm from the slightly revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, thyrsoid, sessile or with peduncle up to 45 mm long, rachis up to 65 mm long, pubescent; bracts 2–3.5 mm long, linear, pubescent, deciduous at anthesis; 3–42 flowers; pedicels 1–5 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 1–2.5 mm long, free, linear, apices obtuse, pubescent, not reflexed, deciduous before antheses; trichomes light brown. Flower buds 2–4 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, velutinous hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free in the bud, 1–2.5 × 2–2.5 mm, ovate, apices rounded, puberulent; petals 4, obovate, oil glands inconspicuous; staminal ring pubescent; stamens with filaments 3.5–7 mm, anthers oblong; style 2.5–4.5 mm, puberulent to glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 4–10 per locule, locule internally pilose. Fruits 20–30 × 17–30 mm, globose or ellipsoid, smooth, velutinous, yellow when ripe; seed 1–3 per fruit, 15–23 × 14–19 mm, globose or ellipsoid, testa slightly rugose.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Mun. Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro com Arlindim , 13 May 2008, fr., D.A. Folli 6065 (CVRD!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Aceiro Milanês , lado direito, 29 January 1984, fl., D.A. Folli 489 (UEC! (left side sheet)) ; ibid., Ao lado do Viveiro , próximo ao barracão, 21 January 1990, fl., D.A. Folli 419 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, ICN!, RB!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Estrada Boleira , 07 December 1983, fl., D.A. Folli 480 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, RB!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 16 km, 21 January 1981, fl., I.A. Silva 231 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, RBR!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Trilha do Pequi Vinagreiro , 14 April 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4819 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, UB!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia beaurepairiana is known from collections from the state of Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is mainly found in the Mata Alta.

Phenology: —Flowering in December through January; fruiting in April through May ( Fig. 4 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species is assigned to Eugenia sect. Pilothecium . Eugenia beaurepairiana is morphologically similar to E. supraaxillaris due to its size and shape of leaves and determinate inflorescences. However, Eugenia beaurepairiana can be distinguished by its pubescent abaxially leaves with midvein sulcate adaxially (vs. glabrous abaxially and midvein slightly raised adaxially in E. supraaxillaris ), and the pubescent inflorescences (vs. glabrate or glabrous). The combination of thyrsoid inflorescences and yellow fruits when ripe distinguish the species from all other of the genus in RNV.

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 9. A. Fruiting branch of Eugenia beaurepairiana (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), B. Fruiting branch of Eugenia brasiliensis (K. S. Valdemarin s.n.), C. Fruiting branch of Eugenia brejoensis (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), D. Eugenia bunchosiifolia (K.S. Valdemarin 761).