Encholirium viridicentrum Leme & O.B.C.Ribeiro, 2014

Leme, Elton M. C., Till, Walter, Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., De Moura, Ricardo L. & Ribeiro, Otávio B. C., 2014, Miscellaneous New Species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 177 (2), pp. 61-100 : 86-89

Encholirium viridicentrum Leme & O.B.C.Ribeiro , sp. nov. ( Figs. 15 I–N , 16 , 17 )

This new species is closely related to Encholirium ctenophyllum but differs from it by the smaller size (25–30 cm vs. 50–70 cm), the leaves forming smaller rosettes (12–15 cm vs. 15–28 cm in diameter), blades dark purple toward the apex with green basal portion (vs. grayish to wine-colored throughout), shorter marginal spines (1.5–2 mm vs. 6–8 mm), shorter peduncle (14–16 cm vs. 35–45 cm), shorter inflorescence (6.5–9 cm vs. 16–25 cm) and the nearly erect floral bracts (vs. subspreading and serrulate) with entire margins about equaling the flowers (vs. shorter than the sepals).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Congonhas do Norte, near the border with Santana de Pirapama, Vale do Barbado , 1278 m elevation, 18° 50’ 39’’ S, 43° 44’ 48’’ W, 26 November 2010, O. B. C . Ribeiro 282 & E . Leme (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants flowering 25–30 cm tall, saxicolous. Leaves ca. 30 in number, densely arranged, spreading recurved and forming round rosettes 12–15 cm in diameter; sheaths 1.4 × 1–1.8 cm, margin inconspicuously serrulate to entire, glabrous, whitish adaxially with a castaneous central portion, castaneous abaxially; blades 5.5–5.7 × 0.5–0.8 cm, narrowly lanceolate (vs. shorter than the sepals) basal 1/3 green to yellowish-green contrasting with the dark purple distal (2/3) part, sparsely white lepidote near the base and glabrous toward the apex adaxially, white lepidote abaxially, apex attenuate-caudate, margins spinose; spines 1.5–2 mm long, narrowly triangular, mostly retrorse. Peduncle 14–16 cm long, erect, green, glabrous; peduncle bracts exceeding the internodes, the basal ones foliaceous, the upper ones broadly ovate, stramineous, glabrous, margins serrulate, apex caudate. Inflorescence 6.5–9 cm long, densely racemose, simple; main axis green, glabrous; floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, apex acuminate, about equaling the flowers (including the stamens) and suberect, 1.2–1.5 × 0.4–0.6 cm, glabrous, green, slightly succulent at the base, soon stramineous toward the apex to completely stramineous, margins entire. Flowers ca. 55 in number, 1.2–1.4 cm long (including the stamens), densely arranged, suberect, subsessile; pedicels 2 x 1.5 mm, inconspicuous, green, glabrous; sepals narrowly ovate, symmetrical, free, 7–8 × 3–4 mm, apex acute and apiculate, green, entire, glabrous; petals narrowly ovate-lanceolate, symmetrical, free, apex narrow and emarginate, 9 × 2.5–5 mm, green, entire, not imbricate, glabrous; stamens exserted; filaments pale green, 10–11 mm long, 1 mm in diameter near the base, free or nearly so; anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long, base bilobed, apex obtuse, dorsifixed near the base; ovary 3–4 x 2 mm, green; style 4–5 mm, green, exserted; stigma conduplicate-spiral, green. Capsule unknown.

Distribution and habitat: — This new species is known only from the Campos Rupestres vegetation of the county of Congonhas do Norte, near the border with the county of Santana de Pirapama, locality known as Vale do Barbado, in the Espinhaço range, about 1280 m elevation. It grows as a rupicolous species on quartzite rocky outcrops, with a small population formed by isolated individuals or more often densely aggregated groups of plants with few to several rosettes. The region where it was found is rich in endemic Encholirium species , including the recently described E. agavoides Forzza & Zappi (2011: 282) and E. ctenophyllum Forzza & Zappi (2011: 286) .

On the basis of the “B1a” and “B2a” criteria adopted by IUCN (2010), E. viridicentrum is considered a critically endangered species.

Etymology:— The epithet refers to the green center of the leaf rosettes which provides a striking contrast with the dark purple color of the distal portion of the leaf blades.

Observations:—According to the identification key provided by Forzza & Zappi (2011), E. viridicentrum is closely related to E. ctenophyllum but can be distinguished from it by the smaller size when in bloom (25–30 cm vs. 50–70 cm tall), with leaves forming smaller rosettes (12–15 cm vs. 15–28 cm in diameter), blades dark purple except for the green basal portion (vs. grayish to wine-colored throughout), shorter marginal spines (1.5–2 mm vs. 6–8 mm), shorter peduncle (14–16 cm vs. 35–45 cm long), shorter inflorescence (6.5–9 cm vs. 16–25 cm) and the nearly erect and entire floral bracts (vs. subspreading and serrulate) that are about equaling the flowers (vs. shorter than the sepals).

Figures

FIGURE 15. A–H. Cryptanthus walkerianus (Leme 8749 et al.). A. Leaf. B. Apex of the leaf. C. Floral bracts of the basal fascicles. D. Flower of the basal fascicle. E. Floral bract of the simple central portion of the inflorescence. F. Staminate flower of the simple central portion of the inflorescence. G. Sepal. H. Petal. I–N. Encholirium viridicentrum (Ribeiro 282 & Leme). I. Leaf. J. Peduncle bract. K. Floral bract and flower. L. Sepal. M. Petal. N. Pedicel and gynoecium.

FIGURE 16. Encholirium viridicentrum (Ribeiro 282 & Leme). A. The rupicolous habit and partial view of the habitat. B. Habit in culture. C. Inflorescence. D. Details of the leaf rosettes and the contrasting color of the central and outer portions of the leaves. E. Details of the flowers. F. General view of the habitat.

FIGURE 17. Encholirium viridicentrum (Ribeiro 282 & Leme). A densely arranged group of plants and the rupicolous habit in Campos Rupestres vegetation at type locality.