Eugenia pruniformis Cambessèdes (1832: 340)

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 : 66-67

41. Eugenia pruniformis Cambessèdes (1832: 340) . ( Fig. 26B .)

Shrubs or trees 2–27 m tall. Twigs pubescent or glabrate when young, glabrescent; trichomes brownish or ferruginous. Young leaves puberulent or glabrate, glabrescent; trichomes brownish or ferruginous. Leaves with petioles (3–) 5–17 mm long, canaliculate, puberulent or glabrate; blades 60–225 × 25–75 mm, elliptic, narrow-elliptic, wide-elliptic or oblong, concolorous when dry, not glaucous and puberulent or glabrous on both surfaces; bases acute, attenuate or obtuse; apices acuminate or caudate; midvein sulcate adaxially and raised abaxially, glabrate on both surfaces; secondary veins 8–17 at each side, slightly raised on both surfaces, the first pair sometimes not confluent with the innermost marginal vein; marginal veins two, sometimes three, the innermost 2.5–8 mm from the plane or revolute and without thickening margin; oil glands slightly sulcate or inconspicuous adaxially and raised abaxially. Inflorescences axillary, raceme, sometimes corymbose, sessile or with peduncle up to 14 mm long, rachis up to 14.5 mm long, pubescent; bracts 0.5–2 mm long, ovate, puberulent or pubescent, persistent at anthesis; 2–10 flowers; pedicels 2.5– 5.5 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 1–2 mm long, free or connate by 1 mm long at the base, ovate, apices obtuse or rounded, puberulent or pubescent, not reflexed, persistent in the fruit; trichomes brownish or ferruginous. Flower buds 1.5–3 mm in diameter. Flowers with smooth, pubescent hypanthia; calyx lobes 4, free, 1.5–4 × 2–4 mm, ovate, apices obtuse or rounded, puberulent or pubescent; petals 4, oblong or obovate, oil glands evident; staminal ring puberulent or pubescent; stamens with filaments 3–4.5 mm, anthers oblong or suborbiculate; style 3.5–5.5 mm, pubescent or glabrate, stigma punctiform; ovary 2-locular, ovules 4–20 per locule, locule internally glabrous. Fruits 6–10.5 × 6–10 mm, globose, smooth, puberulent or glabrate, dark purple when ripe; seeds 1–2 per fruit, 4.5–9.5 × 4–9.5 mm, globose, testa smooth.

Specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Linhares, Reserva Natural Vale – Aceiro ao final da estrada flamengo, lado direito, próximo à porteira, 24 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 804 (ESA!) ; ibid., Aceiro Catelã , 23 September 2014, fr., D.A. Folli 7256 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro com Bobbio , 24 April 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5559 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Aceiro com Pomar de Frutas Tropicais , 03 April 1997, fl., D.A. Folli 2974 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 04 June 2008, fl., D.A. Folli 6067 (CVRD, SORO) ; ibid., Aceiro de acesso a Estrada Roxinho , 10 December 2016, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 320 (ESA!) ; ibid., Aceiro Milanês , 22 June 1999, D.A. Folli 3439 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Cruzamento da Estrada Jacarandá, Imbiruçu e Zamboa , 01 February 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 1001 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Beira Rio , 13 March 2013, fl., D.A. Folli 7031 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Bomba d’água, 25 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 863 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Caingá , 24 September 1991, fr., D.A. Folli 1384 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Cinco Folhas , 27 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 914 (ESA!) ; ibid., 29 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 918 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Flamengo , antes da saída da Bicuíba, 21 April 2011, fl., D.F. Lima 272 (CVRD!, ESA!, MBM!, RB!) ; ibid., km 11, 07 April 2006, fl., G.Q. Freire 60 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Gávea , 01 December 2006, fl., E.J. Lucas 878 (BHCB, ESA!, K!, RB!) ; ibid., 14 May 2004, fl., D.A. Folli 4849 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 25 March 2004, fl., D.A. Folli 4800 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 27 October 1994, fr., D.A. Folli 2408 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., entre Jueirana Vermelha e Bomba d’água, 25 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 859 (ESA!) ; ibid., RFL-001/80, bloco D, trat. 4, planta 113, 13 January 2005, fr., G.S. Siqueira 153 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., Estrada Imbiruçu , 01 February 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 998 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Facão , 26 August 2004, fr., D.A. Folli 4912 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., trilha próxima à baixada, 02 February 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 1006 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Jueirana Vermelha , 25 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 846 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Municipal do MME, 05 March 2008, fl., D.A. Folli 5903 (CVRD!, RB!, SORO!) ; ibid., 25 January 2002, fl., D.A. Folli 4170 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., fragmento ao lado oposto da BR-101, 06 December 2012, fl., J.A. Lombardi 9661 (ESA!, HRCB!) ; ibid., próximo ao café dois irmãos, 08 January 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5437 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 08 January 2007, fl., D.A. Folli 5438 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 31 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 979 (ESA!) ; ibid., Estrada Parajú , 09 March 1999, fl., D.A. Folli 3374 (CVRD!, SORO!) ; ibid., 31 January 2017, fl., K.S. Valdemarin 985 (ESA!); no locality, 11 December 2012, fr., G.S. Siqueira 833 (CVRD!, RB!, SORO!); no locality, 30 January 1972, fl., D. Sucre 8308 (RB!) .

Distribution and habitat: — Eugenia pruniformis is known from collections from the state of Bahia to Rio de Janeiro in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. In the RNV, the species is found in the Mata Alta vegetation, where it could grow in the understory or reach the canopy, also the transition of this vegetation to the Muçununga, being the species rarely found in the latter.

Phenology: —Flowering in December through May; fruiting mainly in August through October, besides G.S. Siqueira 833 and 153 which were collected with fruits in December and January, respectively ( Fig. 5 ).

Taxonomic comments: —The species is assigned to Eugenia sect. Racemosae . There are two groups of specimens of Eugenia pruniformis in RNV. One presents leaf blades shorter, 60–85 mm, with revolute margin (vs. 80–225 mm long with plane margin), inflorescences with peduncle of 4–14 mm long and ferruginous indumentum (vs. generally sessile and brownish indumentum).Although it is possible to distinguish the groups of specimens, both are here treated as the same species based on the concept delimitated by Mazine (2006) in the revision of the section. Therefore, it is evident that E. pruniformis needs more detailed studies regarding the variation observed to understand if it is one species or a complex to be solved. Other observation is that the maximum leaf blade length here observed is longer than the known for the species so far (225 mm long vs. 119 mm long; Mazine 2006).

The group with smaller leaf blades is morphologically similar to Eugenia candolleana due to its size and shape of leaf blades, the raceme inflorescence, sometimes corymbose, with indumentum. However, Eugenia pruniformis can be distinguished from E. candolleana by its longer leaf blades, 60–225 mm long, and first pair of secondary veins sometimes not confluent with the innermost marginal vein (vs. up to 70 mm long and first pair of secondary veins always confluent with the innermost marginal vein), and mainly by its inflorescences with brownish or ferruginous trichomes (vs. whitish to light brown trichomes). The group with bigger leaf blades is morphologically similar to Eugenia pisiformis due to its leaf blades shape, size, indumentum and apices, besides to be discolorous. However, E. pruniformis is easily distinguished by its innermost marginal vein 2.5–8 mm from the margin (vs. 0.5–1 mm from the margin), and the inflorescences in raceme which could be sometimes corymbose (vs. inflorescences in fascicle).

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 26. A. Fruiting branch of Eugenia pruinosa (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), B. Flowering branch of Eugenia pruniformis (G. Siqueira, Vale S.A.), C. Flowering branch of Eugenia punicifolia (F.F. Mazine 1288), D. Fruiting branch of Eugenia repanda (K.S. Valdemarin s.n.)