Eugenia astringens Cambessèdes (1832: 361)

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 : 18-20

5. Eugenia astringens Cambessèdes (1832: 361) . ( Fig. 8A .)

Shrubs or trees 1–10 m tall. Twigs glabrate when young, glabrescent; trichomes brownish. Young leaves glabrous. Leaves with petioles 1.5–9 mm long, canaliculate adaxially, glabrous; blades 50–105 × 25–65 mm, wide-elliptic or oblong, rare elliptic or suborbicular, concolorous when dry, not glaucous and glabrate or glabrous on both surfaces; bases obtuse, rounded or attenuate; apices obtuse or rounded, rare acuminate; midvein biconvex, plane or sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, puberulent to glabrate on both surfaces; secondary veins 8–11 at each side, slightly to deeply raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal innermost vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 2–3(–5) mm from the revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous adaxially and raised abaxially. Inflorescences generally ramiflorous, sometimes axillary, fascicle, sessile or with peduncle up to 1 mm long, rachis up to 2 mm long, puberulent or glabrous; bracts 0.5–1 mm long, ovate, ciliate, deciduous at anthesis; 2–6 flowers; pedicels 3–8 mm long, glabrous; bracteoles 0.5–1 mm long, connate at the base, ovate, apices acute or obtuse, ciliate, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; trichomes light brown. Flower buds 2–3.5 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent or glabrous hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free in the bud, 0.5–0.7 × 0.5 mm, ovate, apices obtuse, ciliate or glabrous; petals 4, obovate, oil glands evident; staminal ring puberulent; stamens with filaments 3–4.5 mm, anthers oblong; style 4–5 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 10–16 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 6.5–14 × 6–12 mm, globose or ellipsoid, smooth, glabrous, purple when ripe; seed 1(–2) per fruit, 4.5–11 × 4.5–10 mm, globose or ellipsoid, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Mun. Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Ceolin , 21 August 2001, fr., D.A. Folli 4020 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro com Lasa Canto Grande , 30 August 2006, fl., D.A. Folli 5350 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro do IBAMA, 02 July 2008, fl., D.A. Folli 6167 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro projeto 01, fr., 27 June 2001, D.A. Folli 3951 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro próximo a Roxinho para a sede, fr., 17 April 2006, D.F. Lima 195 (CVRD!, ESA!, HUEFS!, MBM!, RB!, UB) ; ibid., Estrada Bomba d’água, 21 February 2014, fl., L. Biral 1000 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., fl., 27 August 1991, D.A. Folli 1396 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., no final da estrada, 27 August 1991, fr., D.A. Folli 1395 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , 02 April 2001, fr., D.A. Folli 3858 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 05 March 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5491 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 11 May 2004, fr., G.S. Siqueira 86 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 23 August 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4909 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 06 August 2012, fr., H.C. Lima et al. 7527 (RB!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha, Barra Seca , próximo à casa do guarda, fl., 11 April 2006, J. Paula-Souza 5726 (CVRD!, ESA!, SORO!, SPF!) ; ibid., próximo ao rio Barra Seca , fl., 20 April 2011, J.C. Lopes 274 (BHCB!, CVRD!, ESA!, HUEFS!, RB!, SP!, SPF!) ; ibid., Estrada Parajú , fl., 02 December 2006, E.J. Lucas 946 (BHCB!, ESA!, K!, RB!) ; ibid., nativo do Parajú, fl., 11 January 2007, D.A. Folli 5444 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!); Estrada Roxinho, próximo ao aceiro Catelã , 08 April 2006, fl., M.B. Paciencia 2408 (CVRD!, SORO!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia astringens is a widespread species, known from collections from the state of Bahia to Santa Catarina in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is mainly found in the Muçununga, where it grows in the understory, and Campo Nativo vegetation.

Phenology: —Flowering in August through April; fruiting in June through August ( Fig. 4 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species is assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae . Eugenia astringens is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus by its calyx lobes free and with less than 1 mm in length, fasciculate inflorescences generally ramiflorous, and bracteoles persistent in the fruits. The specimens D.A. Folli 5444, D.A. Folli 5491, E.J. Lucas 946 and L. Biral 1000 present leaves with secondary veins markedly raised adaxially, puberulent pedicels, and flowers with pubescent hypanthia. Considering the analysis of the types of Eugenia apiocarpa O. Berg (1857: 284) , E. cassinoides O. Berg (1857: 286) , E. cyclophylla O. Berg (1857: 287) , E. rotundifolia Casaretto (1842: 40) and E. umbelliflora O. Berg (1857: 290) (images and specimens), all considered synonyms of E. astringens by Mazine et al. (2024), a wide variation in leaves form and veins impression were noticed covering all states presented in the specimens here examined. The presence of indumentum in floral structures was not reported in the publication of any name presented above, but this variation was observed in this study and reported in other recent taxonomic treatment of Eugenia for the State ( Giaretta & Peixoto 2015). Thus, a more detailed analysis of E. astringens morphological limits is desirable to clarify whether these morphological differences are indeed a result of intraspecific variation or the recognition as distinct species should be proposed.

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 8. A. Fruiting branch of Eugenia astringens (K.S. Valdemarin 178), B. Flowering branch of E. atlantica (K.S. Valdemarin 772), C. Flowering branch of E. bahiensis (K.S. Valdemarin 458), D. Fruiting branch of E. batingabranca (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.).