Cryptanthus aracruzensis 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 : 14-16

Cryptanthus aracruzensis Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 8 A–C , 10 A–F )

This new species is characterized by leaves being distinctly coriaceous toward the base and comparatively shorter, leaf blades with inconspicuous marginal spines, the sessile inflorescence which is comparatively short, with a reduced number of flower fascicles, wine colored and coarsely white lepidote sepals and by the highly connate petals. All these features distinguish it from Cryptanthus sanctaluciae .

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Aracruz, Picuã , 400 m elevation, 19° 53’ 45” S 40° 19’ 13” W, March 2010, L . Kollmann 12100 (holotype RB!, isotype MBML!) .

Plants terrestrial, stemless, flowering 4–5 cm tall, propagating by short basal shoots. Leaves 8–10 in number, distinctly coriaceous mainly toward the base, spreading, forming a lax rosette; sheaths subtriangular, inconspicuous, ca. 1.5 × 2.5 cm, whitish, glabrescent toward the base, densely and coarsely white lepidote at the apex; blades sublinear to narrowly lanceolate, long attenuate and ending with a caudate apex, 20–45 × 1.5–3.8 cm, without a distinct thicker median zone, green to dark red toward the base mainly abaxially, adaxial and abaxial sides strongly contrasting; adaxial side sparsely to subdensely and coarsely white lepidote near the base and glabrous toward the apex, opaque; abaxial side completely covered by a coarse layer of white to sometimes castaneous trichomes, the castaneous trichomes sometimes forming irregular crossbands, margins densely but inconspicuously spinose, spines 0.3–0.4 mm long, 2–4 mm apart, antrorsely uncinate; the outer leaf blades much longer than the inner ones, distinctly narrowed and canaliculate toward the base but not petiolate, basal channel U-shaped, flat toward the apex, margins inconspicuously undulate; the inner blades inconspicuously narrowed toward the base. Inflorescence sessile, ca. 2.5 cm long, 2.5–3 cm in diameter (not including the primary bracts); primary bracts foliaceous to subfoliaceous, spreading-recurved; flower fascicles 5–7 in number, densely aggregated, pulvinate, 15–20 × 13–18 mm (excluding the petals), 5–8 mm thick, 6–12-flowered; floral bracts triangular, acuminate, submembranaceous toward the base and margins, wine colored toward the base and nigrescent near the apex, coarsely white lepidote, nerved, slightly shorter than the sepals, margins remotely spinulose, alate-carinate (the outer ones) to obtusely if at all carinate (the inner ones), 15–18 × 7–10 mm, at least the outer ones strongly convex; flowers all perfect, sessile, 27–30 mm long, fragrant; sepals ca. 13 mm long, connate at the base for ca. 5 mm, lobes ovate, acuminate, ca. 8 × 3 mm, dark wine colored except for the hyaline margins, coarsely white lepidote, the adaxial ones alate-carinate with the keel decurrent on the ovary, the abaxial one obtusely if at all carinate; petals broadly spathulate, 23–24 × 9 mm, connate at the base for 12–14 mm, white, the free lobes suborbicular, subacute to rounded, distinctly longer than the stamens but spreading at anthesis and exposing them, bearing 2 inconspicuous callosities at the base; filaments 15–16 mm long, equally adnate to the petals for the length of its basal tube; anthers 4–5 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, base distinctly bilobed, apex rounded; pollen ellipsoid, sulcate, inconspicuously brochate; style equaling to slightly surpassing the anthers; stigma simple erect, white, blades broadly spathulate with irregularly scalloped margins; ovary 4 × 4–5 mm, trigonous, white; epigynous tube lacking; ovules numerous, obtuse; placentation apical. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Cryptanthus aracruzensis is known from the type locality only, where it grows as a rupicolous species in shady spots inside semidecidual Atlantic Forest, in the coastal county of Aracruz, Espírito Santo State.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species refers to the coastal county of Aracruz, Espírito Santo state, where it was originally collected.

Observations:— Cryptanthus aracruzensis is closely related to the recently described C. sanctaluciae Leme & Kollmann (2008: 12) . However, it differs by the smaller size when in bloom (4–5 cm vs. 21–25 cm tall), leaves distinctly coriaceous toward the base (vs. slightly coriaceous only), leaf blades shorter (20–45 cm vs. 43–65 cm long), with inconspicuous marginal spines (0.3–0.4 mm vs. 0.5–1 mm long), inflorescence sessile (vs. on a 11–15 cm long peduncle) and shorter (ca. 2.5 cm vs. 6.5–7.5 cm long) with reduced number of flower fascicles (5–7 vs. 10–11), dark wine colored and coarsely white lepidote sepals (vs. soon stramineous and pale brown lepidote), and by the higher connate petals (connate for 12–14 mm vs. ca. 8 mm). Cryptanthus aracruzensis lives in a middle to lower elevated region (300–400 m) about 20 km in straight line from the ocean, while its morphological relative, C. sanctaluciae , is known from higher elevated areas (800– 900 m) in the mountainous county of Santa Teresa, located about 50 km distant in straight line from the ocean.

Figures

FIGURE 8. A–C. Cryptanthus aracruzensis (Kollmann 12100). A. Habit. B. Top view of the rosette. C. Details of the flower.

FIGURE 10. A–F. Cryptanthus aracruzensis (Kollmann 12100). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Basal flower fascicle. C. Floral bract. D. Sepal. E. Petal and one outer and inner stamen each. F. Stigma. G–M. Cryptanthus ilhanus (Ilha s.n.). G. Leaf. H. Basal segment of leaf blade. I. Basal flower fascicle. J. Floral bract. K. Sepals. L. Petal and one outer and inner stamen each. M. Style and stigma. Scale bars = 1 cm.