Eugenia moonioides O. Berg (1857: 262)

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

30. Eugenia moonioides O. Berg (1857: 262) . ( Fig. 21 .)

Trees 27–31 m tall. Twigs glabrous when young. Young leaves glabrous. Leaves with petioles 3.5–6 mm long, canaliculate, glabrous; blades 45–85 × 20–38 mm, narrow-obovate or oblanceolate, discolorous when dry, not glaucous and glabrate or glabrous on both surfaces; bases acute or attenuate; apices acuminate, sometimes obtuse; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrous on both surfaces; secondary veins 7–10 at each side, slightly raised or inconspicuous adaxially and raised abaxially, the first pair confluent with the marginal vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 1.5–2.5 mm from the plane or slightly revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands inconspicuous on both surfaces. Inflorescences axillary, fascicle, sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, rachis up to 1.5 mm long, pubescent; bracts 0.5–1 mm long, ovate, pubescent, persistent after anthesis; 2–6 flowers; pedicels 4–15 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 1–1.5 mm long, free, ovate, apices obtuse, pubescent, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; trichomes rufescent. Flower buds 2–3 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, fused by ca. 1 mm at the bases, 2–3 × 2 mm, ovate or wide-obovate, apices obtuse or rounded, glabrate or glabrous; petals 4, obovate, oil glands inconspicuous; staminal ring pubescent; stamens with filaments 3.5–5 mm, anthers oblong; style 4.5–6 mm, glabrous, stigma punctiform and papillose; ovary 2–locular, ovules 14–19 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 13–18 × 12–16 mm, globose or ellipsoid, smooth, puberulent; red when ripe; seeds 1 per fruit, 12.5–16 × 11.5–13 mm, globose or ellipsoid, testa glandular.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Catelã com João Pedro , 27 September 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4945 (CVRD!, HUFSJ!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Bicuíba , 08 October 2014, fr., D.A. Folli 7266 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Macanaíba Pele de Sapo , 06 April 1981, fl., I.A. Silva 248 (CVRD!, ESA!, HUFSJ!, RB!, RBR!, SORO!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia moonioides is known from few collections from the state of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo to Rio de Janeiro in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. The gatherings in the RNV are the unique for the state, where the species is found in the Mata Alta vegetation canopy.

Phenology: —Flowering in April; fruiting in September through October ( Fig. 5 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae due to its fascicles inflorescence and bracteoles persistent after anthesis. Eugenia moonioides is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus in RNV by its rufescent trichomes on the inflorescences, flower buds up to 3 mm in diameter and calyx lobes puberulent to glabrous contrasting with the pubescent hypanthia.

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 21. Dry specimen of Eugenia moonioides.