Eugenia

This page is about a genus of flowering plants. For other meanings see Eugenia (disambiguation)

Eugenia is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,000 species occur in the New World tropics, especially in the northern Andes, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Forest (coastal forests) of eastern Brazil. Other centers of diversity include New Caledonia and Madagascar. Many species new to science have been and are in the process of being described from these regions. For example, 35 new species of Eugenia recently were described from MesoAmerica. Remarkably, only a single species, E. reinwardtiana, is known from Australia, which otherwise is one of the great centers of richness for the family overall. The genus also is represented in Africa south of the Sahara, but it is relatively species-poor on that continent. In the past some botanists included the closely related Old World genus Syzygium in Eugenia, but research by Schmid in the early 1970s convinced most botanists that the genera are easily separable. Research by van Wyk and colleagues in South Africa has suggested the genus may be comprised of two distinct lineages, recognizable by anatomical and other features.

All species are woody evergreen trees and shrubs. Several are grown as ornamental plants for their attractive glossy foliage, and a few produce edible fruit that are eaten fresh or used in jams and jellies.

Eugenia species are sometimes used as food plants by the larvae of hepialid moths of the genera Aenetus (including A. splendens) and Endoclita (including E. damor and E. malabaricus). Aenetus species burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Other Lepidoptera larvae which feed on Eugenia include Eupseudosoma aberrans and Snowy Eupseudosoma.

Selected species

Eugenia aurata O.Berg
Eugenia aggregata (Cherry of the Rio Grande)
Eugenia alternifolia
Eugenia atropunctata
Eugenia bimarginata DC.
Eugenia blastantha (O.Berg) D.Legrand
Eugenia brasiliensis
Eugenia caryophyllata (an alternate species name for the clove)
Eugenia cerasiflora Miq.
Eugenia confusa
Eugenia coronata
Eugenia dysenterica DC.
Eugenia foetida
Eugenia hiemalis Cambess.
Eugenia jambolana
Eugenia klotzschiana O.Berg
Eugenia kunthiana DC.
Eugenia ligustrina
Eugenia livida O.Berg
Eugenia luschnathiana (Pitomba)
Eugenia malaceensis (Pomarroso)
Eugenia monticola
Eugenia natalitia
Eugenia orbiculata
Eugenia pitanga (O.Berg ex Mart.) Kiaersk. (Pitanga)
Eugenia pluriflora Mart.
Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) DC.
Eugenia racemulosa O.Berg
Eugenia sprengelii
Eugenia stipitata (Arazá)
Eugenia supra-axillaris
Eugenia uniflora (Surinam Cherry)
Eugenia uruguayensis Cambess.
Eugenia uvalha
Eugenia zeyheri

Eugenia aggregata is native to Brazil, a large shrub or small tree which grows to 5 meters in height. Leaves are dark glossy green, elliptical, to 7 cm long. White flowers mature into reddish fruits, which grow to 2 cm long and have the flavor of cherries.

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