Cryptanthus rigidifolius Leme, 2013

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2013, Miscellaneous New species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 108 (1), pp. 1-40 : 19-21

Cryptanthus rigidifolius Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 11 A–B , 13 A–E )

This new species differs from its closest relative, Cryptanthus capitatus , by the shorter leaf blades, which have entire margins in central portion, inflorescence with a smaller central head of staminate flowers, whitish floral bracts, and laxly to subdensely pale brown lepidote and shorter sepals.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo, Fundão, APA do Goiapaba-açú, Piabas , propriedade de A . Cassimiro , 685 m elevation, 19º 52’ 47.5” S 40º 28’ 28.2” W, 8 February 2007, A . P . Fontana 2813 & K . A . Brahim , cult. E . Leme 7025 (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants terrestrial, stemless, propagating by short axillary shoots. Leaves 8–9 in number, suberect before anthesis to nearly spreading at anthesis, laxly disposed and forming an open oval rosette; sheaths inconspicuous, broadly ovate, ca. 3.5 × 3 cm, strongly coriaceous, rigid, thick, dark green to dark wine colored mainly abaxially, subdensely white lepidote abaxially, the margins densely and minutely spinulose toward distal end; blades sublinear-lanceolate, apex long acuminate, 30–45 × 2.3–3 cm, narrowed toward the base but not petiolate, strongly coriaceous and rigid mainly toward the base, having a distinctly thicker central zone, canaliculate, green to dark green except for the wine coloration near the base, densely white lepidote abaxially with trichomes arranged along the nerves and not completely obscuring the leaf color, adaxially inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote, distinctly nerved, margins slightly undulate near the apex, margins densely and minutely spinulose toward the base and the apex, the central portion entire or nearly so; spines triangular, antrorsely uncinate, 0.3–0.5 mm long, 1–5 mm apart. Inflorescence ca. 3 cm long, ca. 2.5 cm in diameter, sessile, with a central head of ca. 18 staminate flowers; primary bracts foliaceous; flower fascicles ca. 5, the basal ones ca. 28 mm long (excluding the petals), 13–17 mm wide, 2–3-flowered, flabellate; floral bracts hyaline, sparsely to subdensely and coarsely brown lepidote toward the apex, nerved, equaling to slightly exceeding the ovary, margins entire to inconspicuously spinulose at the apex, the bracts of the flower fascicles subtriangular to lanceolate, subacute and apiculate, strongly carinate, 18–20 × 10 mm. Flowers sessile, scented with a cockroach like odor, those of the upper central part of the inflorescence 30–35 mm long (with extended petals), those of the outer part of the flower fascicles perfect, 45–48 mm long (with extended petals); sepals ca. 12 mm long, connate at the base for ca. 7 mm, laxly to subdensely pale brown lepidote, margins entire to remotely denticulate; those of the flower fascicles with lobes broadly elliptic to suborbicular, acute and apiculate, ca. 5 × 4 mm long, greenish-white, obtusely carinate; those of the staminate flowers lanceolate, narrowly acute, 5 × 2–2.5 mm, greenish to green, ecarinate; petals of the perfect flowers sublinearsubspathulate, apex broadly acute, ca. 30 × 5 mm, white except for the greenish apex, slightly longer then the stamens but recurved at anthesis and exposing them, connate at the base for ca. 10 mm, bearing conspicuous callosities ca. 9 mm above the base; petals of the staminate flowers smaller, ca. 25 × 3.5 mm, connate for ca. 7 mm; filaments ca. 26 mm long, terete, equally adnate to the petal tube; anthers 2-3 mm long in the staminate flowers, dorsifixed at 1/3 of its length above the base in staminate flowers or slightly below the middle in the perfect flowers, base bilobed, apex obtuse; stigma conduplicate-patent, subspreading-recurved, exceeding the anthers, lobes with scalloped margins; ovary of the perfect flowers subclavate, 15 × 5–6 mm, trigonous, white, sparsely brown lepidote to glabrous; epigynous tube lacking; ovules few, obtuse, placentation apical. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:—According to its collector, C. rigidifolius was found as a terrestrial species growing on slopes covered by humid Atlantic Forest, at about 685 m elevation, in a conservation unit called Área de Proteção Ambiental do Goiapaba-açú, locality of Piabas, in the county of Fundão, Espírito Santo state. It is known from the type locality only.

Etymology:—The name of this new species is a reference to its comparatively rigid leaves, which is an important characteristic to its field identification even possible when sterile.

Observations:— Cryptanthis rigidifolius is morphologically related to C. capitatus Leme (1994: 6) , differing from it by shorter leaf blades (30–45 cm vs. 50–65 cm long), which have entire margins in the central portion (vs. spinulose toward the base and entire toward the apex), inflorescence with a smaller central head of staminate flowers (with ca. 18 flowers vs. ca. 40 flowers), whitish floral bracts (vs. reddish to red), and by the smaller sepals (ca. 12 × 4 mm vs. 17 × 5–6 mm) that are laxly to subdensely pale brown lepidote (vs. densely and coarsely brown lepidote).

Figures

FIGURE 11. A–B. Cryptanthus rigidifolius (Fontana & Brahim 2813). A. Habit. B. Details of the central portion of the inflorescence and flower.

FIGURE 13. A–E. Cryptanthus rigidifolius (Fontana & Brahim 2813). A. Basal portion of the leaf. B. Basal flower fascicle. C. Floral bract. D. Flower. E. Sepals. F–L. Cryptanthus tabuleiricola (Leme et al. 8014). F. Leaf blade apex. G. Basal flower fascicle. H. Floral bract in the flower fascicle. I. Floral bract from the central portion of the inflorescence. J. Staminate flower from the central portion of the inflorescence. K. Sepals. L. Petal and one outer and inner stamen each. Scale bars = 1 cm.