Eugenia espinhacensis
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Eugenia espinhacensis faces severe pressure from habitat destruction in Brazil's Espinhaço Mountains, where mining activities and agricultural expansion have fragmented its specialized rocky outcrop environments. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized disturbances, while its slow growth rate and specific soil requirements hinder natural recovery. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the delicate moisture balance of its high-altitude habitat.
Habitat
This endemic species inhabits rocky outcrops and quartzite formations in the Espinhaço Mountains of Minas Gerais, Brazil, typically growing in shallow soils between rock crevices at elevations above 1,000 meters. It requires well-drained, nutrient-poor soils and is adapted to the region's distinctive campo rupestre vegetation.