Eugenia fusca O. Berg (1857: 290)

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 : 34-36

20. Eugenia fusca O. Berg (1857: 290) . ( Fig. 14 .)

Trees 6–18 m tall. Twigs glabrous when young. Young leaves glabrous. Leaves with petioles 3–6 mm long, canaliculate adaxially, glabrous; blades 135–205 × 60–90 mm, oblong, narrow-oblong, elliptic or narrow-elliptic, markedly discolorous when dry, lighter adaxially, not glaucous and glabrous on both surfaces; bases obtuse or attenuate; apices acuminate, sometimes caudate; midvein slightly sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrous on both surfaces; secondary veins 12–20 at each side, slightly raised adaxially and raised abaxially, the first pair confluent with the marginal innermost vein; marginal veins two, the innermost 3.5–6 mm from the revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands slightly raised adaxially and inconspicuous abaxially. Inflorescences ramiflorous, rarely axillary, fascicle, sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, rachis up to 1.5 mm long, glabrate or glabrous; bracts 0.5–1 mm long, ovate or oblong, puberulent, deciduous at anthesis; 2–6 flowers; pedicels 7–11 mm long, glabrous; bracteoles 0.5–1 mm long, free, triangular or lanceolate, apices acute, glabrous, not reflexed, deciduous after anthesis. Flower buds ca. 6 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth or slightly glandular, glabrous hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, fused by ca. 1 mm long at the base, 3.5–5 × 3–4.5 mm, ovate or suborbiculate, apices obtuse or rounded, puberulent; petals 4, obovate, oil glands evident; staminal ring puberulent; stamens with filaments 6.5–8 mm, anthers oblong; style not seen; ovary 2–locular, ovules 9–15 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits ca. 26 × 15 mm, ellipsoid, glandulose, glabrous, red when ripe; seeds 1 per fruit, ca. 20 × 10.5 mm, ellipsoid, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro Calimã, 05 October 2010, fl., G.S. Siqueira 805 (CVRD!, RB!, SORO!); Aceiro com estrada Parajú , 05 September 2011, fl., G.S. Siqueira 655 (CVRD!, SORO!); Estrada Flamengo , talhão 502, bloco 1-12, 16 November 1977, fl., J. Spada 21/77 (CVRD!, SORO!); Estrada Jueirana Vermelha , próx. à casa do guarda (Barra Seca), 19.0823S, 39.8867W, alt. 44 msm, 11 April 2006, fr., G.Q. Freire 149 (RB!); Estrada Parajú, 26 April 2005, fr., G.S. Siqueira 167 (CVRD!, SORO!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia fusca 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 found in the Mata Alta.

Phenology: —Flowering in September through November; fruiting in April ( Fig. 4 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species can be assigned to Eugenia sect. Umbellatae due to its fascicle inflorescences and bracteoles persistent after anthesis. Eugenia fusca is morphologically similar to E. melanogyna due to their absence of indumentum in almost the entire plant (except by their puberulent staminal ring), fasciculate and generally ramiflorous inflorescences, bracteoles deciduous after anthesis and ellipsoid fruits. However, the species can be distinguished by its bigger leaves, 135–205 × 60–90 mm, apices acuminate or sometimes caudate, midvein slightly sulcate adaxially and the innermost marginal vein 3.5–6 mm from the margin (vs. leaves smaller, 45–140 × 22–65 mm, apices obtuse or sometimes acute, midvein plane, raised or biconvex adaxially and the innermost marginal vein 2–2.5 mm from the margin), bracteoles triangular or lanceolate, apices acute and glabrous (vs. bracteoles ovate, apices obtuse and puberulent), and fruits glandular and red when ripe (vs. smooth or slightly glandular and purple when ripe).

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 14. Dry specimen of Eugenia fusca.