Myrtaceae
Eugenia

Eugenia uniflora L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 470 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. & S. Brazil to S. South America. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is has environmental uses, as a medicine and invertebrate food and for food.

Descriptions

Myrtaceae, B. Verdcourt, B.Sc., Ph.D. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Much-branched shrub or smalltree 3–10 m tall, leaves ovate, 2–6.3 cm long, 1.3–3.3 cm wide, obtuse or obtusely acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, glabrous; petiole 2 mm long; flowers solitary or ± 4 in fascicles; pedicels slender, 1.5–2.5 cm long, glabrous, with oblong brown gland-dotted bracts 7 mm long at base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-lobes 4 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 50–60.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit green turning orange, bright red, deep scarlet or dark purplish maroon (almost black), oblate, 1.4–2.5 cm diameter, 7–8-ribbed, juicy and edible with either 1 large or 2–3 smaller seeds.
[FTEA]

Myrtaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
A shrub or small tree
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ridged, with smooth red skin.
[FWTA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 1000 - 1850 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Arbusto
[CPLC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60330325/206965467

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Myrtaceae, F. White. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree up to 7 m. tall.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina up to 6 x 3 cm., ovate or ovate-elliptic, apex bluntly subacuminate, base rounded; lower surface glabrous; lateral nerves in 7–9 pairs, indistinct; petiole 0·2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1·5–2·5 cm. long, white, solitary or few together, axillary; pedicels very slender.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4, 0·45 x 0·3 cm., ovate-deltate, strongly reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 0·6 x 0·3 cm., obovate-elliptic, strongly reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 0·5 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 0·6 cm. long, punctiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Berry 1·5–2·5 cm. in diameter, depressed-globose, crimson.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean. Elevation range: 1000–1850 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Cauca, Cundinamarca, San Andrés y Providencia, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Shrub.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
cereza, cereza cuadrada, cereza de Cayena, cereza de morrocoy, cereza de Surinam, cerezo, cerezo de morrocoy, grosella, grosella roja, mirto, pitanga
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Invertebrate Food
Used as invertebrate food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Surinam Cherry

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0