Vriesea wurdackii Smith (1968: 83)

Kessous, Igor M. & Costa, Andrea F., 2023, Novelties in “ incertae sedis ” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision, Phytotaxa 585 (2), pp. 71-101 : 92

3.11 Vriesea wurdackii Smith (1968: 83) .

Type: — VENEZUELA. Amazonas: terrestrial, locally frequent in scrub forest on granite dome on right bank of Rio Siapa just below Raudal Gallineta (about 110 river km from mouth), 600–700 m alt., 21 August 1959, Wurdack & Adderley 43569 (holotype US!, isotype NY!)

Description:—Plant terrestrial or epilithic, flowering 80−130 cm high. Leaves forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath 8−10 × 4.5 cm, lepidote on both surfaces, denser toward the base; blade linear-oblong, triangular attenuate toward the apex, apex acute-acuminate, ca. 80 × 3.2–4.5 cm, lepidote on both surfaces, denser on the abaxial surface. Inflorescence simple, 6–25 flowered, ca. 120 cm long, lax, erect; peduncle erect, 50–65 cm long and 6.5–9 mm in diameter, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, slightly to more densely imbricate, apex acuminate-caudate, 50–90 mm long, lepidote, denser on the abaxial surface; rachis sinuous, ca. 50 cm long, 4–5 mm in diameter, glabrous, with 1–2 sterile bracts at the apex. Floral bracts ovate, acute, 40–55 × 23–25 mm, ecarinate, chartaceous, brittle (soon decaying), slightly exceeded by the sepals, lepidote on both surfaces, denser in the adaxial surface. Flowers secund, 15–25 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals oblong, narrowly sub-elliptic, obtuse, ca. 30 × 10 mm, free, carinate at the apex, symmetric, glabrous; petals unknown. Fruits cylindric-fusiform, suberect to erect, ca. 35 mm long; seeds including coma ca. 12 mm, apical coma ca. 0.1 mm or absent, basal coma ca. 9 mm.

Distribution: —This species occurs only in the state of Amazonas, Venezuela, at 350–700 m above sea level.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —Although this taxon has some characteristics of Werauhia (such as the short apical coma of the seeds and secund flowers), no other trait indicates a placement in this genus. We were unable to observe diagnostic characters such as details of the petals, gynoecium, and androecium.

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ wurdackii ” refers to the collector of the type, John Wurdack (1921–1998).

Representative Specimen Examined: — VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Atabapo, Salto Yureba, Cerro Yureba , lower Ventuari. Hard , igneous rock banks of river and waterfall, patches of soil along river, and adjacent forest, 4°03’N 66°01’W, 350 m elev., past fl., 15–16 Mar. 1985, Liesner 18728 (US).