Eugenia disperma Vellozo (1829: 209)

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 : 31

16. Eugenia disperma Vellozo (1829: 209) . ( Fig. 11C .)

Trees 8–10 m tall. Twigs puberulent when young, glabrescent; trichomes ferruginous. Young leaves pubescent, glabrescent; trichomes ferruginous. Leaves with petioles 6–10 mm long, canaliculate, puberulent or glabrate; blades 90–145 × 25–45 mm, narrow-elliptic or oblanceolate, slightly discolorous when dry, not glaucous and puberulent adaxially and pubescent abaxially; bases acute, attenuate or obtuse; apices acuminate; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrate adaxially and puberulent abaxially; secondary veins 13–18 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair confluent with the marginal vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 2.5–4.5 mm from the plane and undulate without thickening margin; oil glands sulcate adaxially and inconspicuous or slightly raised abaxially. Inflorescences axillary, raceme, peduncle 2–2.5 mm long, rachis up to 1.5 mm long, puberulent; bracts 1.5– 2 mm long, ovate, puberulent, persistent after anthesis; 2(–4) flowers; pedicels up to 2 mm long or absent, pubescent; bracteoles 1.5–2.5 mm long, connate by ca. 1 mm at the base, ovate, apices acute, pubescent, not reflexed, persistent at anthesis; trichomes whitish or brownish. Flower buds ca. 4 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free, 2–3 × 2–3 mm, ovate, apices obtuse or rounded, pubescent; petals 4, oblong, oil glands evident; staminal ring puberulent; stamens with filaments 3–9 mm, anthers oblong; style 3.5–8 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform; ovary 2–locular, ovules 12–18 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits not seen.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Estrada Mantegueira , 22 June 2006, fl., D.A. Folli 5307 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 22 June 2006, fl., G.S. Siqueira 235 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Trilha da Peroba Amarela , 23 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 790 (ESA!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia disperma is known from collections from the state of Paraíba through Santa Catarina in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is found in the Mata Alta vegetation, growing in the understory.

Phenology: —Flowering in January and June ( Fig. 4 ).

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 disperma is morphologically similar to E. brejoensis and E. macrosperma due to its leaf blades shape, size, apices and undulate margin, as well as by its raceme inflorescence with persistent bracts. Eugenia disperma 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 2 mm or absent, and bracteoles connate by ca. 1 mm at the base. For the distinguishing features of E. disperma , E. brejoensis and E. macrosperma see the comments of the corresponding species.

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 11. A. Flowering branch of Eugenia cataphyllea (G. Siqueira 1089, Vale S.A.), B. Flowering branch of Eugenia copacabanensis (K.S. Valdemarin 1047), C. Flowering branch of Eugenia disperma (K.S. Valdemarin 790), D. Fruiting branch of Eugenia excelsa (K.S. Valdemarin 408).