Eugenia selloi VS E. neonitida – are they the same . . . ?

[Epicatt2]

 . . . . or are they actually different species?

They look very much the same but one (which one?) has an elongated fruit and the other's fruit is more round.

Some (the elongated ones?) are sweeter and others (the rounded ones?) are more sour.

Are there enough structural differences in the plants / leaves / flowers / fruit / etc. to warrant considering these to be two separate species?

Was hoping that some of our TFF members who are growing this/these variants might weigh in with their sage observations.

Paul M.
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[Jaboticaba45]

It is the same. They are synonymous. I believe it was eugnenia neonitida but it got changed to selloi. Just there are different variations of the plant when you are planting seeds etc.
Same story with rollinia also. Used to be rollinia deliciosa, but now it's annona muscosa.
Another example of scientific name change would be with kwai muk.

[Epicatt2]

Thanks Jabo, I know that these two do seem very similar but . . .

Has anyone who has grown both of these forms or who has botanized them reported that there are significant enough structural differences between the leaves / flowers / fruits / seeds of these two, or that their geographic ranges in nature do not overlap, or at least are distinct enough to indicate that they are maybe just two very closely related but yet separate species?

I keep wondering.

Paul M.
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[K-Rimes]

I leave it up to the Brazilian botanists to decide when to merge species. Good example is cherry of rio grande / savannah cherry (involucrata / calycina). They really are *close enough* and from what I can tell their flowers are compatible, so probably most of the seeds out there are hybrids now. I know my seeds certainly are since the plants are touching each other.

Probably better to just name them or identify the differences as cultivars at this point. Dasyblasta is not a different species, it's still uniflora, for example.

[Epicatt2]

I leave it up to the Brazilian botanists to decide when to merge species.

Sensible, K Rimes.  Perhaps somone like 'huertasurbanas' who's surely seen a lot of these two variants of pitangatuba and is able make first-hand comparisons may have something useful to offer to this discussion.

Probably better to just name them or identify the differences as cultivars at this point. Dasyblasta is not a different species, it's still uniflora, for example.

Lumping the two may be a more practical way to go (if in fact these prove to just be variants rather than closely related species –or perhaps even intergrades), but no one at this point seems to be naming cultivars of pitangatuba.

Cheers!

Paul M.
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[K-Rimes]

If someone thinks it's worth naming a tuba variety, it should come along with a brix test to really show it's superior!