Eugenia uniflora is a large shrub or small tree with a conical form, growing slowly to 8 metres (26 ft) high. When bruised, crushed, or cut, the leaves and branches have a spicy resinous fragrance, which can cause respiratory discomfort in susceptible individuals. The leaves are without stipules, ovate, glossy, and held in opposite pairs.[5] New leaves are bronze, copper, or coppery-pinkish in color, maturing to deep glossy green, up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long. During winter, the leaves turn red.
Flowers have four white petals and are borne on long slender stalks, with a conspicuous central cluster of white stamens ending in yellow anthers. Flowers develop into ribbed fruits 2 to 4 centimetres (0.79 to 1.57 in) long, starting as green, then ranging through orange, scarlet, and maroon as they ripen. Because fruit-eating birds distribute the seeds, they can become a weed in suitable tropical and sub-tropical habitats, displacing native flora.[5]
Uses
Culinary uses
The edible fruit is a botanical berry. The taste ranges from sweet to sour, depending on the cultivar and level of ripeness (the darker red to black range is quite sweet, while the green to orange range is strikingly tart). Its predominant food use is as a flavoring and base for jams and jellies.[13] The fruit is high in vitamin C and a source of provitamin A.
The leaves are also used for tea in certain parts of Uruguay.[citation needed]
Use as an insect repellent
The leaves are spread on some house floors in Brazil so that they exude a smell that repels flies when crushed underfoot.[citation needed]
Medical uses
Eugenia uniflora has several significant pharmacological properties.[14] Its essential oil is antihypertensive,[14][15] antidiabetic,[16] antitumor[17] and analgesic,[18] and it has shown antiviral and antifungal activity.[19] It has performed against microorganisms such as Trichomonas gallinae (in vitro),[20]Trypanosoma cruzi[21] and Leishmania amazonensis.[14][22]
^ abNascimento e Santos, Débora; Lima de Souza, Larissa; Nilson José Ferreira; Lopes de Oliveira, Alessandra (2015). "Study of supercritical extraction from Brazilian cherry seeds (Eugenia uniflora L.) with bioactive compounds". Food and Bioproducts Processing. Elsevier. 94: 365–374. doi:10.1016/j.fbp.2014.04.005.
^Proosdij, A.S.J. van (2012). Arnoldo's Zakflora: Wat in het wild groeit en bloeit op Aruba, Bonaire en Curaçao (in Dutch). Zutphen: Walberg Pers. ISBN978-9057301629.
^Ogunwande IA, Olawore NO, Ekundayo O, Walker TM, Schmidt JM, Setzer WN (2005). "Studies on the essential oils composition, antibacterial and cytotoxicity of Eugenia uniflora L.". International Journal of Aromatherapy. 15 (3): 147–152. doi:10.1016/j.ijat.2005.07.004.
^Amorim AC, Lima CK, Hovell AM, Miranda AL, Rezende CM (2009). "Antinociceptive and hypothermic evaluation of the leaf essential oil and isolated terpenoids from Eugenia uniflora L. (Brazilian Pitanga)". Phytomedicine. 16 (10): 923–8. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2009.03.009. PMID19423309.
