Eugenia sulcata Spring ex Martius (1837: 85)

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 : 74

47. Eugenia sulcata Spring ex Martius (1837: 85) . ( Fig. 28B, D .)

Shrubs or trees 3–18 m tall. Twigs puberulent when young; cataphylls present and deciduous in young twigs; trichomes brownish. Young leaves glabrate or glabrous; trichomes brownish. Leaves with petioles 3.5–5.5 mm long, canaliculate, glabrate or glabrous; blades 25–65 × 10–30 mm, elliptic or narrow- elliptic, discolorous when dry, lighter abaxially, not glaucous and glabrate or glabrous on both surfaces; bases acute, obtuse or attenuate; apices acuminate or acute, sometimes obtuse; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrate or glabrous on both surfaces; secondary veins 11–17 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 0.5–1.5 mm from the revolute, and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous adaxially and slightly raised abaxially. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, raceme with late vegetative proliferation, peduncle 1–3 mm long, rachis up to 2 mm long, puberulent or glabrous; bracts 1–8.5 mm long, oblanceolate, puberulent, deciduous after anthesis; 2–4 flowers; pedicels 10–40 mm long, puberulent; bracteoles 1–2 mm long, free, lanceolate, apices acute, glabrous, not reflexed, deciduous at anthesis; trichomes brownish. Flower buds 2.5–3.5 mm in diameter. Flowers with costate, puberulent or glabrate hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free, 3–6 × 1–2 mm, oblong, apices obtuse, ciliate; petals 4, obovate, oil glands evident; staminal ring glabrous; stamens with filaments 1.5–3 mm, anthers oblong or globose; style 3–6 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 11–19 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 5–7 × 4–7 mm, depressed-ellipsoid or globose, slightly costate or costate, puberulent or glabrate, dark red or purple when ripe; seeds 1–2 per fruit, 2–3.5 × 2–4 mm, globose, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Ceolin , 23 July 2003, fl., G.S. Siqueira 25 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro do Calimã , próximo ao antigo marco de ferro, 07 October 2008, G.S. Siqueira 441 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 24 November 1993, fr., D.A. Folli 2099 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 25 October 1993, fl., D.A. Folli 2058 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , 06 September 1991, fl., D.A. Folli 1403 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 13 December 1997, fl., M. Simonelli 862 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 15 October 2003, fl., G.S. Siqueira 50 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 11 December 2016, K.S. Valdemarin 358 (ESA!) ; ibid., próximo à estrada Mantegueira , 13 December 2016, fr., K.S. Valdemarin 454 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 02 December 2013, fr., D.A. Folli 7145 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha, próximo ao rio Barra Seca , 20 October 1998, fl., D.A. Folli 3270 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Macanaíba Pele de Sapo , 05 October 1978, fl., D.A. Folli 41 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 5 December 2012, fr., J.A. Lombardi 9631 (CVRD!, HRCB!) ; ibid., Estrada Mantegueira , 25 October 2010, fl., T.B. Flores 935 (CVRD!, ESA!, HPL!, VIES!) ; ibid., próximo à entrada da Flamengo, 04 October 2016, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 205 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Oiticica , 27 December 1993, fl., D.A. Folli 2134 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Final da Estrada Parajú , 03 September 1986, fl., D.A. Folli 602 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Próximo da estrada 154, talhão 506, 25 September 1972, fl., A.M. Linom 90 (SP!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia sulcata is known from collections from the state of Espírito Santo through Santa Catarina in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is found in the Muçununga vegetation, rarely in the Mata Alta.

Phenology: —Flowering in July through October, and December; fruiting in November through December ( Fig. 5 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species is assigned to Eugenia sect. Eugenia . Eugenia sulcata is morphologically similar to E. ligustrina due to its leaf blades size, shape, and the presence of inflorescences in raceme with late vegetative proliferation. However, it is distinguished by the costate hypanthium ( Fig. 28D ), sometimes slightly costate as in G.S. Siqueira 25, D.A. Folli 7145, 2134 and 602 (vs. smooth in E. ligustrina , see Table 3 ). Additionally, Eugenia sulcata is easily distinguished from all other species in RNV by its inflorescences in raceme with late vegetative proliferation up to 5 mm long, considering the peduncle and rachis length, and the flowers with hypanthium slightly costate or costate.

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 28. A. Flowering branch of Eugenia schottiana (K.S. Valdemarin 832), B. Fruiting branch of Eugenia sulcata (K.S. Valdemarin 454), C. Fruiting branch of Eugenia supraaxillaris (K.S. Valdemarin 911), D. Flower with costate hypanthium of E. sulcata (K.S. Valdemarin 205).