Eugenia
The genus was named in honor of Prince Eugene of Savoy. 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. Despite the enormous ecological importance of the myrtle family in Australia (e.g. "Eucalyptus", "Corymbia", "Angophora", "Melaleuca", "Callistemon", "Rhodamnia", "Gossia"), only one species of "Eugenia", "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 botanists 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 comprise at least two major lineages, recognizable by anatomical and other features. Molecular phylogenetic studies have changed the historical circumscription of the genus. Many species formerly placed in "Eugenia" have been moved to "Syzygium". Two others have been reassigned to "Pimenta." The Caribbean genera "Hottea", "Calyptrogenia" and "Pseudanamomis" were shown to be embedded in "Eugenia". The monotypic Indian genus "Meteoromyrtus" was also found to be part of "Eugenia". Selected species include: "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 the snowy eupseudosoma.
Taxonomy
Eugenia is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Other centers of diversity include New Caledonia and Madagascar. Many of the species that occur in the Old World have received a new classification into the genus "Syzygium".