A new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from south‐eastern Brazil

A new species, Eugenia marambaiensis M.C.Souza & M.P.Morim, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by having large translucent gland dots densely distributed on the leaves, with a caudate apex and slightly wavy margins and a glabrous raceme, with only two flowers. Eugenia marambaiensis was only found in the locality of Restinga da Marambaia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 306–308.     

A new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Venezuela

Eugenia mcvaughii is described from a forest remnant of the Jardin Botánico of Caracas, Venezuela. Found also in the hills adjacent to Caracas, it may be considered as an endemic species of the Interior Coastal Cordillera.     

Two new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Central French Guiana

Eugenia argyrophylla andE. morii from Saül in Central French Guiana are described and illustrated.     

A new species of Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from the Western Ghats, India

Eugenia shettyana, is described and illustrated as a new species from the Western Ghats, India. The differences to similar taxa are discussed.     

Leaf anatomical studies of Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) species from the Malay Peninsula

KHATIJAH, H. H., CUTLER, D. F. & MOORE, D. M., 1992. Leaf anatomical studies of Eugenia L. species from the Malay Peninsula. The leaf and petiole anatomy of 25 Malaysian species of Eugenia L. sensu lato was investigated to determine the value of vegetative anatomy for the identification of non-flowering material. Twelve characters proved useful for the identification of species: type of stomata; shape of leaves in T.S.; shape of midrib bundle; sclerenchyma sheath; cutinization of outer epidermal wall; presence or absence of sclereids, idioblasts, hypodermis, columnar epidermal cells, solitary crystals; number of palisade layers and the shape of vascular strand, sclerenchyma sheath and sclereids in the parenchyma of the petiole. Using these characters an anatomical key was constructed to assist identification of the species. Only the closely related species E. stapfiana and E. nilidula could not be separated on anatomical characters.
The anatomical data support the treatment of Henderson (1949) of section Acmena but not of sections Cleistocalyx and Fissicalyx , which fit better in section Syzygium.     

Purification of betulinic acid from Eugenia florida (Myrtaceae) by high-speed counter-current chromatography

A high yield of betulinic acid (up to 17% from the ethanolic extract) was found in the leaves of Eugenia florida collected in south-eastern Brazil, making this species a potential commercial source of the title compound. Extracts of E. florida were subjected to solvent partition, and rapid high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was applied to the semi-crude extracts to afford betulinic acid in high purity. The mobile and stationary phases were derived from the two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (10:5:2.5:1). The developing solvent system (stationary and mobile phases) for optimum HSCCC separation was chosen by dissolving the fraction to be chromatographed in the proposed solvent mixture and determining the amount of betulinic acid in each phase by densitometric TLC. Purified betulinic acid was characterized by 13C-NMR, GC-MS and co-injection of its methyl ester with standards in GC-FID. The HSCCC technique is commonly employed to isolate triterpene glycosides, but is applied in this study to an aglycone.     

A new species of campomanesia (Myrtaceae) from Brazil

Campomanesia espiritosantensis Landrum is described from the coastal forests of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Its relationship to other species in the genus is discussed.     

Transferability of microsatellite markers from Eucalyptus spp. to Eugenia dysenterica (Myrtaceae family)

Cagaita (Eugenia dysenterica) is a widespread plant found in the Brazilian cerrado. Its fruit is used for popular consumption and for industrial purposes. A battery of 346 primer pairs developed for Eucalyptus spp. was tested on cagaita. Only 10 primer pairs were found to be transferable between the two species. Using a polyacrilamide gel, an average of 10.4 alleles per locus was detected, in a sample of 116 individuals from 10 natural populations of cagaita. Seven polymorphic loci allowed estimation of genetic parameters, including expected average heterozigosity H_E = 0.442, diversity among populations, R_ST = 0.268 and gene flow Nm = 0.680.     

Range-wide genetic differentiation of Eugenia dysenterica (Myrtaceae) populations in Brazilian Cerrado

The analysis of geographic patterns in genetic variation has been one of the most important current tools to understand ecological and evolutionary processes underlying population structure. However, inferring such processes from population data may be misleading if biased geographic samples are analyzed. Here we expand previous analyses of Eugenia dysenterica population structure in Brazilian Cerrado, analyzing a larger number of populations distributed throughout a broader geographic region covering most of species' range. We provide new estimates of genetic diversity and population structure based on SSR markers from both neutral and genic regions, using several cluster and ordination techniques. These analyzes reveal a continuous northwestern-southeastern gradient in population differentiation, and not two distinct clusters of populations as suggested in some previous studies. This more comprehensive analysis also reinforces that a simple process of stochastic differentiation do not explain the observed patterns. Moreover, we conclude that explanations for population differentiation may focus on why genetic diversity decreases toward southeastern populations and not necessarily on barriers and interruption of gene flow creating regional patterns of population differentiation.     

A new species of Campomanesia (Myrtaceae) from southeastern Brazil

Campomanesia simulans, a new species from the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described and illustrated.     

A new species of Calyptranthes (Myrtaceae) from southeastern Brazil

Calyptranthes fusiformis (Myrtaceae), a new species from coastal forests of São Paulo, Brazil, is described and illustrated.     

The taxonomic significance of leaf micromorphology in the genus Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae)

Leaf micromorphological features of both the Old and New World representatives of Eugenia L. have been studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The leaves are hypostomatic and, in the majority of species, the stomata are raised above the epidermis. Trichomes are usually present on the abaxial surface of the New World species. The patterns of abaxial surface sculpturing and arrangement of outer stomatal rims are unique in the New World species. The majority of the Old W'orld species showed different anticlinal wall patterns on the adaxial and abaxial epidermises. In the majority of the New World species the anticlinal wall patterns are more or less the same except in E. axillaris. The paracytic type of stomata, with a non-prominent T-piece cutinization at the poles of the guard cells, is a characteristic feature of the New World species. The taxonomic significance of these features in identification and elucidation of species from both areas is discussed.     

Eugenia terpnophylla var. keralensis var. nov. (Myrtaceae) from Kerala,India

The new variety Eugenia terpnophylla Thw. viz. var. keralensis S. M. Shareef, E. S. Santhosh Kumar et Roy is described and illustrated from Kerala, India. It differs from the typical variety by its narrowly or broadly elliptic leaves with more numerous lateral nerves, sub‐orbicular petals and ellipsoidal fruits.     

Foliar anatomy and micromorphology of eleven species of Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae)

The anatomy and micromorphology of eleven species of Eugenia found in the 'restinga' of Marica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were studied and compared. The characteristics found to be of most use in distinguishing the species are: presence and types of trichomes persistent in the adult material, form and arrangement of overlying cells (epidermal cells over secretory cavities), pattern of anticlinal walls of epidermal cells (primary sculpturing), occurrence of epicuticular striae and folds (secondary sculpturing) and presence of peristomatal folds. An analytical key based on these characteristics is presented for the Eugenia species studied.     

Curitiba (Myrtaceae): A new genus from the Planalto of southern Brazil

In the course of monographic work in Myrtaceae it has become evident thatEugenia prismatica cannot be accommodated within any existing genus in the family. Therefore, a new genus,Curitiba, is described to contain it and the new combinationCuritiba prismatica is made.Curitiba is diagnosed by a combination of 4-angled hypanthia and fruits, ovules radiating from a central protruding placenta, and seed coats with wavy rows of papillae. A key is provided to distinguishCuritiba from the Caribbean and Mesoamerican genusMosiera, where the species also had been placed before this transfer, and from other 4-merous genera in Brazil of subtribe Myrtinae. In the Atlantic Forest of Brazil where the family Myrtaceae is one of the most species rich and ecologically important plant families, the discovery ofCuritiba reveals a unique evolutionary lineage, highlights the endemism present in the Atlantic Forest, and underscores, the urgent need for conservation of this rapidly disappearing and highly endangered biome.     

Two new species of Plinia (Myrtaceae) from coastal forests of Brazil

Plinia complanata andPlinia pauciflora, two new species from coastal forests of São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, are described and illustrated.     

A new species of Psidium L. (Myrtaceae) from southern Brazil

Rewardless kettle‐trap flowers Cypripedium yunnanense and C. flavum were watched for pollinators during 73 and 101 man‐hours, respectively, in north‐west Yunnan at 3490–3590 m a.s.l. They differ from typical Cypripedium, such as C. calceolus, in having a broad infolded flap of the lip extending all around the entrance of the pouch (instead of being restricted to the vicinity of the staminode) and in the flap not being slippery. Cypripedium yunnanense is pollinated by Lasioglossum zonulum euronotum (Halictidae), and C. flavum is pollinated by Andrena orchidea and Andrena sp. (Andrenidae, two of nine new hymenopterans discovered at the sites). The bees do not inadvertently fall into the trap by slipping (as often occurs in other slipper orchids), but enter it by crawling down the flap in full control of their movements. No natural hybrids between the two orchids are known, although they occur in close‐by or mixed stands, are co‐flowering and size compatible with regard to their pollinators, and produce fruits following manual cross‐pollination in situ. Analyses of the (non‐Cypripedium) pollen carried indicate that: (1) the two andrenids are probably oligolectic; (2) the andrenids and the halictid do not share the same flower species; and (3) the halictid is polylectic. Points (1) and (2) are probable reasons for the lack of hybrids. The other reason why Lasioglossum zonulum euronotum does not visit C. flavum despite being polylectic may be the flower's odour; cases of discrimination of closely related flowers by polylectic Lasioglossum have been reported elsewhere. Blow flies Calliphora vomitoria and Calliphora pattoni (Calliphoridae) also enter the orchids, some smearing themselves with pollen, yet they are not pollinators. They are too large to leave by the exit and die imprisoned. However, they may be accidental pollinators of the rather larger C. tibeticum present at the sites. Such accidental pollinators probably play an important role in the evolution of new pollination syndromes. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 156 , 51–64.     

Phytotoxic effect of bioactive compounds isolated from Myrcia tomentosa (Myrtaceae) leaves

The aim of this study was to assess the phytotoxic potential of leaves of Myrcia tomentosa, as well as to isolate and identify the main bioactive compounds. The results for the coleoptile and phytotoxicity bioassays indicated the ethyl acetate extract for the phytochemistry study, owing to the high activity and the maintenance of the activity at lower concentrations. This extract was chromatographed and subjected to ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. Two major active compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of leaves of M. tomentosa: avicularin and juglanin. The fractions where these compounds were isolated showed potent inhibition of coleoptile growth. This paper is the first report on the presence of the flavonoids avicularin and juglanin in species of Myrtaceae from Neotropical savanna and provides a basis for future studies on the bioprospecting of M. tomentosa.