Eugenia moritziana H. Karsten (1848: 18)

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 : 51-53

31. Eugenia moritziana H. Karsten (1848: 18) . ( Fig. 19D .)

Trees 4–20 m tall. Twigs tomentose when young, glabrescent; trichomes ochraceous. Young leaves tomentose, glabrescent; trichomes ochraceous. Leaves with petioles 6–10 mm long, plane or terete, puberulent; blades (75–)90– 225 × 25–75 mm, narrow-elliptic, oblong, oblanceolate, sometimes elliptic, slightly discolorous when dry, not glaucous and puberulent adaxially and pubescent abaxially; bases obtuse or acute; apices obtuse; midvein slightly sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, puberulent on both surfaces; secondary veins 8–11 at each side, slightly raised adaxially and raised abaxially, the first pair confluent with the marginal vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 1.5–3.5 mm from the revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, fascicle, rare raceme with late vegetative proliferation, sessile or with peduncle up to 2.5 mm long, rachis 1.5–5 mm long, pubescent or tomentose; bracts 1–2 mm long, ovate, puberulent, deciduous at anthesis; 2–6 flowers; pedicels 4–12.5 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 1.5–3 mm long, connate ate the base, ovate or oblong, apices obtuse, pubescent, not reflexed, generally persistent in the fruit; trichomes ochraceous. Flower buds 5–6.5 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, fused by ca. 1 mm at the bases, 3–6 × 3.5–4 mm, ovate or oblong, apices obtuse or rounded, pubescent; petals 4, obovate, oil glands slightly evident; staminal ring pubescent; stamens with filaments 2–6.5 mm, anthers oblong; style 5–9 mm, pubescent, stigma punctiform and papillose; ovary 2–locular, ovules 19–20 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 15–26 × 13–21 mm, oblong or ellipsoid, smooth, pubescent; purple when ripe; seeds 1–2 per fruit, 11–17 × 9–12 mm, ellipsoid, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro após a estrada Murici , 26 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 871 (ESA!) ; ibid., Aceiro Calimã , 30 March 2012, fr., J.E.Q. Faria 2506 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, UB!) ; ibid., Aceiro com Catelã - João Pedro , 08 February 1999, fr., E.N. Lughadha 176 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!, SP!, SPF!) ; ibid., Aceiro Viveiro , 05.XII.2016, fl., D.A. Folli 7518 (CVRD!, RB!) ; ibid., Cruzamento da Estrada Flamengo e Peroba amarela, 12 December 2016, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 412 (ESA!) ; ibid., 31 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 946 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada em frente ao Pomar de Frutas Tropicais , 13 December 2016, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 448 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , 03 November 1997, fr., M. Simonelli 642 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , 25 February 2011, fl., G.S. Siqueira 620 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., trilha ao esquerdo, próximo a Torre , 11 December 2016, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 366 (ESA!) ; ibid., 24 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 818 (ESA!) ; ibid., 24 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 816 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Facão, 13 December 217, fl., G.S. Siqueira 281 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 22 January 2008, fl., D.A. Folli 5915 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha , 12 May 1994, fr., D.A. Folli 2304 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., 20 December 1993, fl., D.A. Folli 2130 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Municipal com João Pedro , 14 March 1991, fr., D.A. Folli 1315 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia moritziana is known from Venezuela and Colombia, being the gatherings here cited the only known for Brazil ( Sobral et al. 2015b). In Brazil, the species is probably restricted to the Tabuleiro forest in the Atlantic rainforest, where it is mainly found in the Mata Alta vegetation, the transition of this vegetation to the Muçununga, and occasionally near to periodically flooded areas.

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

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae due to its fascicle inflorescences and bracteoles generally persistent after anthesis. Eugenia moritziana is morphologically similar to E. macrantha and E. ochracea due to its fascicle or rare raceme with late vegetative proliferation inflorescence, with tomentose and ochraceous indumentum, and the floral parts size. The distinctive features between Eugenia moritziana and E. macrantha can be seen above in the comments of the latter species. Also, E. moritziana can be distinguished from E. ochracea by its leaf blades puberulent adaxially and pubescent abaxially with inconspicuous oil gland on both surfaces (vs. leaf blades floccose or glabrous adaxially and floccose abaxially with raised oil glands abaxially), bracteoles connate in the base, 1.5–3 mm long (vs. bracteoles free, 4.5–9.5 mm long), calyx lobes pubescent (vs. calyx lobes tomentose) and fruits oblong or ellipsoid (vs. fruits globose).Additionally, it is important to highlight the discontinuous distribution of Eugenia moritziana which makes evident the need for a more detailed analysis. The only variation noticed in the specimens from RNV when analysing the description (Karsten 1849) and possible type images available online (G.C.W.H. Karsten 85 and J.W.K. Moritz 1628) is the longer leaf blades.

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 19. A. Flowering branch of Eugenia macrantha (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), B. Flowering branch of Eugenia macrosperma (K.S. Valdemarin 796), C. Flowering branch of Eugenia melanogyna (K.S. Valdemarin 391), D. Fruiting branch of Eugenia moritziana (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.).