Eugenia puberula Niedenzu (1893: 83)

Bünger, Mariana De Oliveira, Mazine, Fiorella Fernanda & Stehmann, João Renato, 2016, Nomenclatural notes on Eugenia section Phyllocalyx (Myrtaceae), Phytotaxa 265 (3), pp. 295-296 : 295

1. Eugenia puberula Niedenzu (1893: 83) . = Phyllocalyx pubescens O. Berg (1857 –1859: 592). Type:— BRAZIL.

Habitat in silvis montii Corcovado prope urbem Rio de Janeiro, florebat Augusto: Riedel & Langsdorff (holotype LE

[photo]; isotype P!, barcode 05321833 )

= Eugenia tomentosa Cambessèdes (1832: 353) , nom. illeg., not Aublet (1775: 504). = Phyllocalyx tomentosus (Cambess.) O. Berg (1857 – 1859: 328). Type:— BRAZIL. Habitat prope urbem Rio de Janeiro: Saint-Hilaire s.n. (holotype P!, barcode 00076014; isotype MPU [photo]!), syn. nov.

= Eugenia bocainensis Mattos (1975a: 4) . = Phyllocalyx ligustrinus O. Berg (1857 –1859: 592). Type:— BRAZIL. Habitat in Brasilia, loco natali non addito: Riedel & Langsdorff s.n. (holotype LE [photo!]; isotypes BR!, barcode 526034!; K!, barcode K000170016), syn. nov.

Specimens of Eugenia membranifolia Niedenzu (1893: 82) were frequently misidentified as E. bocainensis . Bünger et al. (2014) provide comments and clarification about this nomenclatural mistake.

Eugenia puberula (as Phyllocalyx pubescens ), E. tomentosa (as P. tomentosus ) and E. bocainensis (as P. ligustrinus ) were first described based on single materials. The protologues are quite similar and after careful study of the types we could verify that flower characters such as the tomentose ovary and the obtuse sepals unify these three names under a single species. The other species of Eugenia sect. Phyllocalyx do not show this set of features. After the taxonomic revision of these species and names and under the rule of priority for publication ( McNeill et al. 2012), the accepted name for this species is Eugenia puberula Niedenzu.

Eugenia puberula is found in coastal rainforests to 700 m elev. from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia.