Aechmea pendulispica Leme & L.Kollmann, 2013

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2013, Miscellaneous New species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 108 (1), pp. 1-40 : 4-7

Aechmea pendulispica Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 G–K , 3 A–F )

This new species is characterized by the leaves comparatively thinner in texture, leaf blades with margins subentire or irregularly and inconspicuously spinulose at the apex, the outer ones bearing a narrow U-shaped protruded central channel near the base, by the pendulous inflorescence with a comparatively higher number of flowers, smaller flowers and subacute petals. All those characteristics distinguish it from Aechmea bicolor , the closest relative.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Igrapiuna, Fazenda Michelin, Mata Luiz Inácio , 213 m elevation, 13º 48’ 27.5” S, 39º 10’ 10.2” W, 19 February 2011, E . Leme 8536, L . Kollmann & P . Lima (holotype RB!) .

Plants epiphytic, 35–40 cm tall when flowering, stoloniferous. Leaves ca. 15 in number, thin in texture, suberect, shorter than to exceeding the inflorescence, forming a narrow funnelform rosette; sheaths narrowly elliptic-ovate, 9 × 4.3–4.7 cm, subdensely and inconspicuously white lepidote on both sides, nerved, dark purple adaxially toward the apex, greenish abaxially; blades linear, the apex acuminate and soft in texture, 20– 32 × 2.3–3 cm, inconspicuously if at all narrowed toward the base, the outer ones bearing a narrow, U-shaped protruded central channel near the base, subentire to irregularly and inconspicuously spinulose near the apex, spines ca. 0.3 mm long, 3–20 mm apart, abaxially inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote, adaxially glabrescent, finely nerved, green except for the sometimes darker colored apex. Peduncle curved, rigid, slender, terete, ca. 23 cm long, 3–4 mm in diameter, subdensely white sublanate to glabrescent, greenish to yellowish; peduncle bracts sublinear-lanceolate, acuminate-caudate, 25–50 × 5–7 mm, membranaceous, distinctly exceeding the internodes but exposing the peduncle in part, entire, greenish to yellowish, nerved, subdensely white sublanate. Inflorescence simple, cylindric, densely flowered, pendulous, ca. 7.5 cm long, 2– 2.3 cm in diameter (excluding the petals), bearing at the apex a short coma of sterile bracts; rachis yellow, inconspicuously white sublanate to glabrous, angled, 3–4 mm in diameter; floral bracts broadly subtriangularovate, slenderly apiculate, spreading with the flowers, membranaceous, pale yellowish-hyaline, inconspicuously white lepidote, entire, finely nerved, 3–5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, the lower ones equaling the ovary, the upper ones shorter. Flowers ca. 70 in number, 14–15 mm long, sessile, polystichously arranged, spreading, odorless, anthesis diurnal; sepals broadly triangular-ovate, 4.5 × 4.5–5 mm, including the ca. 0.5 mm long apical mucro, strongly asymmetric, the lateral wing rounded, membranaceous, about equaling the apical mucro, subfree, ecarinate, glabrescent, sparsely and inconspicuously rugulose, orange-yellow; petals subspathulate, apex acute, 9.5–10 × 3.5 mm, free, white, suberect at anthesis, bearing at the base 2 laceratedigitate appendages 2.5–3 mm long as well as 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities 4.5–5 mm above the base and equaling the filaments; stamens included; filaments, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals at the base for ca. 2.5 mm, the antesepalous ones free; anthers linear, bilobed, apex apculate, ca. 2.5 mm long, dorsifixed at ca. 1/3 of its length above the base; stigma conduplicate-spiral, ellipsoid, white, blades inconspicuously crenulate to subentire, ca. 2 mm long; ovary broadly obconic, terete, ca. 4.5 mm long, ca. 4 mm in diameter at distal end, orange-yellow; epigynous tube inconspicuous; ovules subacute, placentation apical. Fruits greenish.

Distribution and habitat:— Aechmea pendulispica is a typically epiphytic species on the lower parts of vertical tree trunks inside the hygrophilous Atlantic Forest. It propagates vegetatively by means of long stolons, forming dense group of plants which can be confused when sterile with sympatric species which present similar habit, like Aechmea limae Leme & Kollmann (2011: 9) and Lymania corallina (Brongn. ex Beer 1857: 106) Read (1984: 213) .

Etymology:—The name chosen for A. pendulispica refers to pendulous spike-like inflorescence, which is an easy-to-observe distinctive character for this new species.

Observations:—According to the key for identification of the small-sized species of simple inflorescence of the “ Aechmea lingulata complex” provided by Leme & Siqueira-Filho (2006b), A. pendulispica is closely related to A. bicolor Smith (1955: 12) . However, this new species differs by the leaves, that are comparatively thinner in texture (vs. coriaceous) which give it a more delicate general appearance, leaf blades with the margins subentire or irregularly and inconspicuously spinulose at the apex (vs. uniformely spinulose throughout), the outer blades bearing a narrow U-shaped protruded central channel near the base (vs. central channel absent), pendulous inflorescence (vs. erect) with a comparatively higher number of flowers (ca. 70 vs. 20–40), smaller flowers (14–15 mm vs. ca. 20 mm long) and subacute petals (vs. rounded and inconspicuously emarginate).

While A. pendulispica is known from coastal low-elevated slopes covered by hygrophilous Atlantic Forest of Bahia state, A. bicolor is a typical dweller of the countryside dryer areas of the Bahian counties of Ituaçu, Jequié, Santa Teresinha and Castro Alves, which explains its distinctly coriaceous and comparatively more robust general appearance. Aechmea bicolor grows at elevations above 500 m, distant 120 to 250 km from the coast.

It is worth to mention that in the protologue of A. bicolor (Smith 1955) the field information originally provided on the label of the type is reproduced, which informes that the specimen was collected in Bahia, Northeast Brazil, by M.B. Foster # 2450, in 18 October 1948, as an epiphyte, in dense forest, between Ituaçu (as “Iturassu”), ca. 250 km from the coast, and Jequié, ca. 120 km inland from the coast. However, Smith & Downs (1979) erroneously corrected the origin of the type on the basis of a letter of Foster from 7 August 1958, indicating that the type specimen of A. bicolor , now as “Foster # 2514”, came from the area of Blumenau to Itajaí, Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. The recently collected specimens used for comparison in this study (Leme # 2790, # 4228) were found at the same geographical sector of Bahia State, in the counties of Castro Alves and Santa Teresinha, not far from Jequié, reinforcing the accuracy of the field data provided in the protologue of A. bicolor .

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–F. Aechmea ituberaensis (Leme et al. 8545). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Median segment of the leaf blade. C. Floral bract and flower. D. Sepal. E. Petal with calli and inner stamen. F. Anther with apical filament portion. G–K. Aechmea pendulispica (Leme et al 8536). G. Leaf blade apex. H. Floral bract. I. Floral bract and flower. J. Sepal. K. Petal with appendages and inner stamen. Scale bars = 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. A–F. Aechmea pendulispica (Leme et al. 8536). A. General view of the fragments of Atlantic Forest at Fazenda Michelin. B. Typical bromeliad community inside the Atlantic Forest of Fazenda Michelin. C. Fruit-stage specimen. D. Epiphytic clump with fruit-stage specimens. E. Habit at full bloom. F. Details of the flowers.