Eugenia 1019804 225552450 2008-07-14T07:47:13Z John Moss 1678292 Eugenia carissoides link :''This page is about a genus of flowering plants. For other meanings see [[Eugenia (disambiguation)]]'' {{Taxobox | name = ''Eugenia'' | image = Eugenia1.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = ''Eugenia sprengelii'' | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Myrtales]] | familia = [[Myrtaceae]] | genus = '''''Eugenia''''' | genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = About 1,000; see text }} '''''Eugenia''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s in 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, 37 new species of ''Eugenia'' have been described from MesoAmerica in the past few years. At least 20 new species are currently in the process of being described from New Caledonia, and approximately the same number of species new to science may occur in Madagascar. Ironically, despite the enormous ecological importance of the myrtle family in Australia (e.g. ''Eucalpytus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Melaleuca'', ''Callistemon'', ''Rhodamnia'', ''Gossia''), only one species of ''Eugenia'' (''[[Eugenia carissoides|E. carissoides]]'', syn ''E.reinwardtiana'') occurs on that continent. The genus also is represented in [[Africa]] south of the [[Sahara]], but it is relatively species-poor on that continent. In the past some [[botanist]]s included the morphologically similar [[Old World]] genus ''[[Syzygium]]'' in ''Eugenia'', but research by Rudolf Schmid in the early 1970s convinced most botanists that the genera are easily separable. Research by van Wyk and colleagues in South Africa suggests the genus may be comprised of at least two major lineages, recognizable by anatomical and other features. All species are woody [[evergreen]] [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s. 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. Other species are used as spices, for example the Indonesian bay leaf (''E. polyantha'') is used in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine. The [[clove]] (''Syzygium aromaticum'', syn. ''Eugenia aromaticum'' or ''Eugenia caryophyllata'') is a populer spice also originating from Indonesia but is now used throughout Europe and Asia. ''Eugenia'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of [[Hepialidae|hepialid]] [[moth]]s 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|Eupseudosoma aberrans]]'' and [[Eupseudosoma|Snowy Eupseudosoma]]. ==Selected species== *''[[Eugenia aurata]]'' [[O.Berg]] *''[[Eugenia aggregata]]'' ([[Cherry of the Rio Grande]]) *''[[Eugenia alternifolia]]'' *''[[Eugenia atropunctata]]'' *''[[Eugenia bimarginata]]'' [[A. P. de Candolle|DC.]] *''[[Eugenia blastantha]]'' ([[O.Berg]]) [[D.Legrand]] *''[[Eugenia brasiliensis]]'' *''[[Eugenia carissoides]]''(Cedar Bay Cherry) *''[[Eugenia caryophyllata]]'' (an alternate species name for the [[clove]]) *''[[Eugenia cerasiflora]]'' [[Miq.]] *''[[Eugenia confusa]]'' *''[[Eugenia coronata]]'' * ''[[Eugenia dysenterica]]'' [[A. P. de Candolle|DC.]] *''[[Eugenia foetida]]'' *''[[Eugenia hiemalis]]'' [[Cambess.]] *''[[Eugenia jambolana]]'' *''[[Eugenia klotzschiana]]'' [[O.Berg]] *''[[Eugenia kunthiana]]'' [[A. P. de Candolle|DC.]] *''[[Eugenia ligustrina]]'' *''[[Eugenia livida]]'' [[O.Berg]] *''[[Eugenia luschnathiana]]'' (Pitomba) *''[[Eugenia malaceensis]]'' (Pomarroso) *''[[Eugenia monticola]]'' *''[[Eugenia natalitia]]'' *''[[Eugenia orbiculata]]'' *''[[Eugenia pitanga]]'' ([[O.Berg]] ex [[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Mart.]]) [[Kiaersk.]] (Pitanga) *''[[Eugenia pluriflora]]'' [[Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius|Mart.]] *''[[Eugenia polyantha]]'' *''[[Eugenia punicifolia]]'' ([[Carl Sigismund Kunth|Kunth]]) [[A. P. de Candolle|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 earthiana]]'' found recently in Costa Rica, the name refers to the EARTH superior education institution (Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda). ''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 [[cherry|cherries]]. [[Category:Myrtaceae]] [[de:Kirschmyrten]] [[fr:Eugenia]] [[it:Eugenia]] [[pt:Eugenia (género)]] [[sq:Eugenia]] [[es:Eugenia (género)]]