Wittmackia distans (Griseb.) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 633)

Aguirre-Santoro, Julián, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia (Bromeliaceae), Phytotaxa 336 (2), pp. 101-147 : 115-116

4. Wittmackia distans (Griseb.) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 633) . Basionym: Aechmea distans Grisebach (1864: 592) . Hohenbergia distans (Griseb.) Baker in Saunders et al. (1871: 284). TYPE:— JAMAICA. Hanover Parish: habitat near the Dolphin, January 1844, W. Purdie s.n. (holotype K!)

Hohenbergia brittoniana Smith (1932: 8) . TYPE:— JAMAICA. Hanover Parish: Dolphin Head and vicinity, 400 m, 18–20 March 1908, N.L. Britton 2313 (holotype NY!).

Plant epiphytic or rupicolous, cespitose or solitary, 80–100 cm tall; rosette broad. Leaves 70–90 cm long, coriaceous; sheaths conspicuous, elliptical, 19–24 × 8.5–12 cm, pale brown, lepidote on both surfaces, serrulate, occasionally entire; blades lingulate, 55–65 cm long, 7–9.5 cm wide at the base, 6.4–9.5 cm wide in the middle, green, both surfaces smooth, lepidote abaxially, glabrescent adaxially, apex initially rounded, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro, margins serrate, the teeth evenly distributed, triangular to hook-shaped, erect to antrorse, green, 0.2–1 mm long. Inflorescence pendulous; peduncle almost completely exposed out of the rosette, stout, rigid, 60–78 cm long, 4–9 mm in diameter, green to dull purple, sparsely floccose, central internodes 2–6.5 cm, distal internodes 1.8–3.5 cm; peduncle bracts shorter than the internodes, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, green to dull purple, the central erect, lax, lanceolate, 7.3–9.3 × 1.2–1.8 cm, sparsely floccose, entire, apex acuminate, the apical ones erect to suberect, lax, lanceolate, 8.7–10.7 × 0.5–0.9 cm, sparsely floccose, entire, apex acuminate to attenuate; fertile part of the inflorescence conical, 52–91 cm long, 23–36 cm wide in the middle, 1-divided, branches 19 to 38 in number, rachis straight to slightly flexuose, green to dull purple, (45–) 53.5–101 cm long, 3.3–6 mm in diameter, sparsely floccose. Primary bracts similar to the peduncle bracts, gradually diminishing in size towards the apex of the inflorescence, divaricate to reflexed, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, shorter than the branches; the basal ones lanceolate, 7.5–9 × 0.5–1 cm, green to dull purple, sparsely floccose, entire, apex attenuate; the apical ones lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.3 cm, green to dull purple, sparsely floccose on both surfaces, entire, apex attenuate. Spikes cylindrical, 2.5–9.2 cm long, 1.2–2.1 cm wide in the middle; stipes exposed, 85–133 mm long, 1.3–1.8 mm in diameter, terete, sparsely floccose to glabrescent, 26–50 flowered; rachis 2.5–9.2 cm long. Floral bracts partially enfolding the ovaries, imbricate, suberect to forming an angle of 30º–60º with the rachis, slightly concave, coriaceous, ovate, 6.5–11 × 6–7.8 mm, yellow, nervose, ecarinate, glabrous, entire, apex initially acute, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 0.4– 2.5 mm long. Flowers suberect, 6.5–11 mm long. Calyx dorsiventrally compressed; sepals coriaceous, triangular, asymmetrical, 4.4–5.3 mm long, 2.6–3 mm wide at the base, the unwinged side 0.9 mm wide, the winged side 2.2–3 mm wide, greenish yellow, both surfaces smooth, the glabrous, entire, apex initially acute, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 0.4–1.2 mm long. Corolla tubular, apically spreading; petals oblong to oblanceolate, 9.3–13 × 1.4–2.7 mm, white, glabrous, entire, apex acute; petal appendages flanking the antepetalous stamens, originating at 4 mm from the petal base. Stamens included; filaments flattened, 8–8.1 mm long, 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, white; anthers rectangular to elliptical, 2.7–3.1 × 0.5–0.9 mm, white, apiculate. Ovary ovoid 2.2–3.3 mm long, 3.1–5.7 mm in diameter, yellow, glabrous; epigynous tube 0.4–0.9 mm long; ovules more than 30 per ovary, globose. Style longer than the stamens, flattened, 8.8–10.8 mm long, white; stigma white, 1.2 mm long. Fruits subovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 7.8 mm long, 5.3–6.2 mm in diameter, white, glabrous ( Fig. 6 ).

Etymology:— The specific epithet likely refers to the long distance between the spike and the inflorescence rachis.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology:— Wittmackia distans only occurs in fragmented forested areas in western Jamaica in the Parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland at 15–550 m elevation ( Fig. 2 ). Most collections of this species come from the Dolphin Head peaks in Hanover Parish. It normally grows as epiphyte in moist limestone forests but can also be found as terrestrial on exposed limestone formations. Wittmackia distans grows sympatrically with W. rohan-estyi . Collected in flower from June to January.

Conservation status:— Wittmackia distans is categorized here as Critically Endangered (CR B1ab(iii); IUCN 2001) because it has an extent of occurrence of less than 100 km 2 and only occurs in the Dolphin Head mountains, a protected area surrounded by rapidly growing urban development.

Taxonomic comments and affinities:— Wittmackia distans also belongs to the group of species with exceptionally long stipes, like W. abbreviata , W. laesslei , and W. rohan-estyi . In fact, this species exhibits the longest stipes in the group (up to 13.3 cm long). Besides this character, the most similar species of W. distans is W. abbreviata because of its pendulous inflorescence. However, W. distans has a longer and broader inflorescence (52–91 × 23–36 cm vs. 36–51 × 9.4–10 cm); generally longer basal primary bracts (7.5–9 cm vs. 4.7–7.5 cm long); longer stipes (85–133 mm vs. 51–63 mm long); and longer floral bracts (6.5–11 mm vs. 3.8–4.9 mm long).

Additional specimens examined:— JAMAICA. Without exact locality, Aguirre-Santoro 1508, flowered in cultivation at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 21 June 2011 ( SEL!) ; 12 August 2006, Luther s.n. (SEL). Hanover Parish: Dolphin Head Mountain , NE side of mountain, top of Dolphin Head mountain, on hillside, 544 m, 6 September 2011, Acevedo-Rodriguez 11923 (IJ!, NY!, US!) ; top of east side of the Dolphin Head mountains , above Askenish, 542 m, 18º22’24.6”N, 78º9’18.5”W, 3 July 2012, Aguirre-Santoro et al. 1814 (IJ!, NY!, US!) ; road between Kingsvale and Retirement, western slopes of Dolphin Head , 294 m, 18º22’32.7”N, 78º10’41.9”W, 4 July 2012, Aguirre-Santoro et al. 1815 ( IJ!) ; Dolphin Head , 544 m, 9 June 2001, Campbell s.n. ( IJ!) ; 460–490 m, 24 May 1906, Harris 9296 (GH!, NY!, UCWI!) ; 490 m, 20 August 1952, Proctor 7164 (IJ!, US!) ; interior summit slopes of Dolphin Head , 460–520 m, 28 November 1955, Proctor 11319 ( IJ!). Westmoreland Parish: Bushmouth to Town Head, 90 m, 28 March 1962, Adams 10954 ( UCWI!) ; Bushmouth to Townhead, 213 m, 4 November 1970, Adams 13215 ( UCWI!) ; 1 mile northwest of Town Head , 15–30 m, 26 November 1966, Proctor 27713 (IJ!, US!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Geographic distribution of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia. A. Species occurring in Jamaica and Cuba, and species endemic to the western Caribbean. Star: W. caymanensis, triangle: W. mesoamericana, circle: W. penduliflora. B. Species endemic to Puerto Rico. Star: W. portoricensis, circle: W. antillana. C. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. laesslei, triangle: W. negrilensis, star: W. polycephala.D. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. rohan-estyi, triangle: W. spinulosa, star: W. urbaniana. E. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. fawcettii, triangle: W. jamaicana, star: W. inermis. F. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. abbreviata, star: W. distans, square: W. eriostachya.

FIGURE 6. Wittmackia distans. A. General habit of the plant. B. Inflorescence. C. Inflorescence branch showing the stipe and spike. D. Spike of the infructescence. E. Flower. F. Sepals. G. Petal and antepetalous stamen. H. Calyx in cross section. I. Ovules. J. Petal appendages. K. fixation point of the filament to the anther. L. Apical portion of the style and stigma. (A–L: Aguirre-Santoro 1814. Photos of living specimens: J. Aguirre-Santoro).