Cipuropsis dubia (L.B.Sm.) Kessous

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 : 73-75

1.1 Cipuropsis dubia (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa, comb. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Basionym: — Tillandsia dubia Smith (1955: 284) . Type: — COLOMBIA. Narino: along trail north of Puerto Leguizamo , 22 November 1948, Jaramillo-Mejia 571 (holotype COL! photo US!) .

≡ Vriesea dubia (L.B.Sm.) Smith (1967: 197) .

= Vriesea alborubrobracteata Rauh (1976: 19) . Type : — PERU: “Peruvia septentrionalis epiphytica in sylvis pluviosis prope Nazareth (Dptm. Amazonas), 800 m. s.m.” B. G .H. 17453 (holotype HEID!) .

Description:—Plant epiphytic, flowering 35−40 cm high. Leaves 8−10 in number, forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath ovate, 3−5 × 3−4 cm, green, lepidote on both surfaces, denser on the adaxial surface; blade narrowly oblong, 17–32 × 1–1.7 cm, green, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes red striate at the base, inconspicuously lepidote to glabrous on both surfaces. Inflorescence compound, generally once branched with 2(–5) (including the terminal one) branches or rarely simple, densely 13–20 flowered, 25–30 cm long, erect; peduncle erect, 20–30 cm long and 3.4–3.7 mm in diameter, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, imbricate, narrowly oblong, 30–35 × 5–7 mm, red with white apex, inconspicuously lepidote on both surfaces; main axis straight, (5–) 15–20 mm long and 2.4 mm in diameter, glabrous; primary bracts narrowly oblong, 25–35 × 7–10 mm, red, sometimes with a white apex, sparsely to inconspicuously lepidote on both surfaces; spikes 9–12 cm, in an angle of ca. 45º to the main axis, bearing 7–20 flowers, strongly complanate, with 2–4 sterile bracts at the apex; rachis geniculate, 4–9 cm long, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter. Floral bracts oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 22–25 × 7 mm, carinate, red with white apex, equaling or slightly shorter than the sepals, inconspicuously lepidote. Flowers ca. 3.3 cm long, 2–4 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals linear-oblong to slightly spatulate, 20–22 × 3–3.2 mm, free, white, ecarinate, symmetric, inconspicuously lepidote on both surfaces; petals white; petal appendages (according to Lyman Smith sketch) ca. 7.5 mm long, adnate to the base of the petals for 6.5 mm, entire, free lobe acute; stamens included; anther ca. 4 mm long, erect; ovary ovoid ca. 5–6 mm long; style slender; stigma simple erect, conduplicate. Fruits narrowly fusiform, suberect, 20–25 mm long; seeds including coma ca. 15 mm, without apical coma, basal coma ca. 10 mm.

Distribution:— This species occurs in the western Amazon in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, at 150–800 m above sea level.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —Smith (1955) positioned this taxon in Tillandsia (without a description of the flowers), but indicated doubts about the correct placement in either Tillandsia or Vriesea . Later, Smith (1967) described the flower of this taxon, checked the presence of petal appendages (in vitro material of Prof. Stefan Vogel), and transferred this taxon to Vriesea . Prior to the monograph by Smith & Downs (1977), this species was described as having only a simple inflorescence and endemic to Colombia. However, Smith (1977) emended the description with a new record of a specimen from Peru that had a compound inflorescence.

We noted that most of the specimens have a compound inflorescence, including several from Colombia. Barfuss et al. (2016) cited the likely placement of this taxon in Cipuropsis ( Gouda 2017) , and Machado et al. (2020) in the subtribe Cipuropsidinae . In addition to the characters mentioned by Barfuss et al. (2016), we observed further morphological similarities to Cipuropsis , including the spikes of the inflorescence strongly complanate, the color of the floral bracts (red with a white apex [bi-colored], common in Cipuropsis ), white petals (commonly observed in Cipuropsis , rarely in Vriesea ), and the inconspicuous apical coma of the seeds (vs. a conspicuous apical coma in Vriesea ). The main distinguishing character between Vriesea and Cipuropsis is the shape of the stigma (see Introduction), which we did not find in specimens or mentioned in the literature. The stigma is suberect and conduplicate (personal communication from E.J. Gouda, based on a specimen in the Utrecht Botanic Gardens [2011GR00936]). However, despite the overlap of the generic limits, we opt for the combination of this species in Cipuropsis , based mainly on its greater morphological affinities and geographical co-occurrence (northwestern South America).

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ dubia ” refers to the uncertainty of the author about the placement between Tillandsia and Vriesea .

Representative Specimens Examined: —Unknown locality: April 1994, Leme 2533 ( RB). ECUADOR. Morona-Santiago: Km 49 on new road from Mendez to Morona, ca. 720 m elev., wet forest, 15 October 1989, Luther et al. 2733 (US) ; Napo: Yasuni Forest Reserve; trail W of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Scientific Station, 0°40.626’S, 76°22.973’W., 26 June 1995, Acevedo-Rodriguez & Ceden ̃o 7539 (US) ; Coca, Coca-Yuca Road, ca. 15 km SE of Coca, 250 m, 24 January 1982, Harling et al. 19872 ( GB) ; Rio Sumino , tributary of the Rio Napo, ca 5 km north east of Santa Rosa, 2 May 1972, Lugo 2105 ( GB) ; Road Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana)—oil wella of the Auca district, ca. 38 km south of Coca, 10 January 1973, Lugo 2574 ( GB). COLOMBIA. Epiphyte im Regenwald (trop.) bei Florenzia, Intendencia del Caquetá, Colombia, 16 April 1956, Vogel 3 (US) ; Caquetá: San Vicente del Caguán: Carretera en construccíon San Vicente-Neiva, tramo entre la Campana (casa del paisa) al Río Pato , Vereda Las Perlas, 300–625 m elev., bmh-T, Cordillera Oriental, estribaciones orientales, 27 July 1990, Betancur et al. 1890 (US) ; Caquetá: San Vicente del Caguán: Trazado de la via Neiva-San Vicente, entre los sítios La Campana (Finca Paujil) a Puerto Majiña, Cordillera Oriental, vertiente oriental, 530–640 m elev., 28 November 1990, Betancur et al. 1890 (US). PERU. Amazonas: Quebrada Cunup; monte, cerca ala cacra, 800–850 ft. elev., 12 July 1974, Kayap 1277 (US, MO) ; Amazonas, Rio Cenepa , ridge above Quebrada chikisinuk throat, a tributary of Huampami, entering from S about 5 km from confluence with Cenepa. 800–900 ft. elev., 21 December 1972, Berlin 664 (US, MO) ; Cuzco, Prov. de la Convencion, Distr. Echarati Cashiriari-3 well site, 5.0 Km South of Camisea river, 11°52’57.1” S, 72°39’6.1” W, 700 m elev., 2 September 1998, Nuñez et al. 23963 (US) ; Quebrada de shigki shinuki Cenepa , Monte, 600 m elev., 23 May 1973, Kayap 804 (US) ; Huanuco, Agua Blanca (Carretera Monzón), 890 m. elev., 25 February 1966, Schuncke 1131 (US).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cipuropsis dubia (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa. A. Holotype Jaramillo-Mejia 571 (COL; Courtesy of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia). B. Blade (Phytologia 5: 287. 1955). C. Plate of V. alborubrobracteata Rauh (Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenw. 16: 22. 1976; Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur). D. Fruit and seeds (Phytologia 5: 287. 1955).