Aechmea ituberaensis 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 : 2-4

Aechmea ituberaensis Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 A–F , 2 A–F )

This new species is characterized by the reduced number of leaves, the broader leaf blades with green apices, shorter floral bracts, longer flowers, sepals with shorter apical mucron and by the white petal blade. Those features distinguish it from Aechmea altocaririensis , the closest relative.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Ituberá, Praia de Pratigi, Campos Nativos , 15 m elevation, 13º 42’ 56.4” S, 39º 01’ 12.2” W, 19 February 2011, E . Leme 8545, L . Kollmann & P . Lima (holotype RB!) .

Plants terrestrial, stoloniferous; stolons ca. 7 cm long, ca. 0.8 cm in diameter. Leaves ca. 7 in number, thinly coriaceous, suberect, exceeding the inflorescence, forming a narrow funnelform to subtubular rosette; sheaths narrowly oblong-elliptic, 15–23 × 6 cm, densely and minutely white lepidote on both sides, wine colored adaxially, green abaxially; blades linear, acuminate, 40–75 × 2.8–4.3 cm, distinctly canaliculate mainly toward the base, bearing a U-shaped protruded central channel, entire, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote on both sides, green or sometimes reddish. Peduncle erect, slender, ca. 34 cm long, 4–5 mm in diameter, subdensely white lanate when young, green; peduncle bracts lanceolate, acuminate-caudate, 25–50 × 8–13 mm, thin in texture, erect, equaling to exceeding the internodes, partly exposing the peduncle, entire, pale green, nerved, inconspicuously white sublanate. Inflorescence simple, cylindric, 11–12 cm long, ca. 3 cm in diameter (excluding the petals), subdensely flowered, rachis pale green to yellowish, subdensely and inconspicuously white sublanate, slightly angulose; floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate-caudate, membranaceous, pale green, sparsely white sublanate, entire, finely nerved, 5–10 × 3–5 mm, the lower ones slightly exceeding the ovary, the upper ones shorter than the ovary. Flowers ca. 40 in number, ca. 20 mm long, sessile, polystichously arranged, subspreading, odorless, anthesis diurnal; sepals obovate, ca. 9 × 5 mm, connate at the base for ca. 2 mm, ecarinate, sparsely and inconspicuously white puberulent to glabrous, pale green at the base to yellowish and whitish toward the apex, strongly asymmetrical, the lateral wing rounded, membranaceous, equaling to slightly exceeding the apex (without the mucro) and shorter than the apical mucro; the apical mucro slender, ca. 1.5 mm long, castaneous; petals narrowly subspathulate, acuminate, spreading-recurved at anthesis, ca. 12 × 3 mm, free, white, without appendages, bearing 2 conspicuous callosities about equaling the filaments; stamens included; filaments, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals at the base for ca. 3.5 mm, the antesepalous ones free; anthers sublinear, ca. 3 mm long, base distinctly bilobed, apex apiculate, dorsifixed near the middle; pollen broadly ellipsoid, biporate, pores small, exine perforate, muri thickened; stigma conduplicate-spiral, subcylindric, white, blades inconspicuously crenulate, ca. 6 mm long; ovary obconic, terete, ca. 8 mm long, ca. 5.5 mm in diameter at the apex, pale green to yellowish, sparsely and inconspicuously puberulent lepidote; epigynous tube ca. 1.5 mm long; ovules obtusely apiculate, placentation apical. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Aechmea ituberaensis lives at sea level in coastal areas, inside “islands” of treelike vegetation scattered in large rolling flat lands of Restinga, in the county of Ituberá, Bahia. It grows on the shaded forest floor, forming small groups of plants.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species refers to the county of Ituberá, Bahia, where it was collected.

Observations:— Aechmea ituberaensis is closely related to the recently described A.altocaririensis Leme & Kollmann (2011: 6) , differing by its reduced number of leaves (ca. 7 vs. 12 to 16 in number), broader leaf blades (2.8–4.3 cm vs. 2–3.2 cm) with green apices (vs. blackish apex), shorter floral bracts (5–10 mm vs. 8– 23 mm long), longer flowers (ca. 20 mm vs. 15–16 mm long), sepals with shorter apical mucro (ca. 1.5 mm vs. 2–3 mm long), and by the white blades of the petals (vs. lilac).

While A. altocaririensis is a typical dweller of the Atlantic Forest of countryside areas, about 900 m elevation, in Minas Gerais state near the border of Bahia state, A. ituberaensis lives at sea level in areas near the coast, in islands of forest in the domain of Restinga vegetation.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–F. Aechmea ituberaensis (Leme et al. 8545). A. General view of flat lands of Restinga with scattered “islands” of treelike vegetation (on the right). B. Details of the typical treelike vegetation. C. Terrestrial clump of vegetative rosettes. D. Habit. E. Close up of the inflorescence. F. Details of the flowers.

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.