Racinaea guacamayosensis Manzan. & Gouda, 2010

Manzanares, José M. & Gouda, Eric J., 2010, Four new species of the genus Racinaea (Bromeliaceae) from Ecuador, Phytotaxa 3, pp. 1-18 : 5-9

Racinaea guacamayosensis Manzan. & Gouda , sp. nov. ( Figs. 4 , 5 , 6 )

A Racinaea diffusa , cui verisimiliter affinis, differt statura minore inflorescentia ad 80 cm longa (versus 100 cm longa vel ultra), pseudobulbo nullo (versus foliis in pseudobulbum incrassatis), lamina triangulari apice longe attenuata (versus subligulata apice acuminata), inflorescentia trichomatibus ferrugineis (versus cinereis), bracteis floralibus 0.35 mm longis orbicularibus apice obtusis (versus 0.5 cm longis ovatis apice acutis), floribus secundis (versus non secundis) petalis cremeis (versus albis); a Racinaea penlandii differt statura majore inflorescentia inclusa 80 cm alta (versus 60 cm alta), pseudobulbo nullo (versus foliis in pseudobulbum ellipsoideum incrassatis), lamina triangulari 30–40 cm longa et 4 cm lata (versus lamina 10–15 cm longa et 0.7–1 cm lata), spicis 3–6 cm longis, laxis (versus 1–1.5 cm longis, densis), rhachidi flexuosa (versus geniculata), bracteis floralibus sepalis dimidio brevioribus (versus sepalis paulo brevioribus), floribus secundis (versus non secundis), sepalis 0.6–0.7 cm longis (versus 0.5 cm longis).

Type:— ECUADOR: Napo: Cordillera de los Guacamayos, sector of Guacamayos , 00º37´22´´S, 77˚49´54´´ W, 2228 m , flowered in cultivation March 2006, J. M . Manzanares 8175 (holotype QCNE, isotype U) .

Plant stemless, epiphytic, flowering 80 cm tall, forming a funnel-form rosette. Leaves subcoriaceous, numerous, about 25, lepidote, purple-spotted; sheaths 14 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, erect, elliptic, veination evident, lepidote, adaxially brown reddish and abaxially brown, the upper part with purple circular spots on both sides; blades 30-40 cm long, 4 cm wide, triangular, recurving and pendent, nearly flat, with long attenuate apex, lepidote, adaxially green with purple spots and abaxially reddish-purple. Inflorescence erect, (fertile part) 40–50 cm long, 13 cm wide, twice branched, lax, ellipsoid, brown, covered with ferrugineous indument, with 15–17 primary branches, branches 2–2.5 cm apart, branches polystichous; axis flexuous, stout, red to purple, ferruginously lepidote. Peduncle exceeding the leaves, 25–30 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, erect, reddish to purple, densely lepidote; peduncle bracts the lower ones subfoliaceous; the upper ones exposing the peduncle in part, sheathing part erect and about equaling the internodes, ovate, closely clasping the peduncle, with triangular 8–10 cm long pendent attenuate blade, reddish to purple, densely lepidote. Primary bracts membranaceous, elliptic, 1–9 cm long, 1.3 cm wide, spreading, shorter than the branches, exceeding and loosely enfolding the stipe of the branches, distinctly nerved, the lower ones with attenuate apex and the upper ones more apiculate and cucullate, densely lepidote, green with purple circular spots. Branches on a long stipe of 1–3 cm long, straight and spreading; primary branches 7–10 cm long, lax, consisting of 3–6 pale brown and densely lepidote spikes; secundary bracts 6 mm tall, 4 mm wide, ovate, obtuse, shorter than the stipe of the spikes, adaxially glabrous, abaxially densely brown lepidote. Spikes shortstipitate (stipe 0.5–1 cm long) spreading and ascending, lax, 3–6 cm long, 1 cm wide, 9–16-flowered, palebrown, densely lepidote, without sterile bracts; rachis flexuous, wholly exposed, slender, transversely triangular with the widest side adaxial. Floral bracts spreading, becoming secund with the flowers, 3.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, shorter than the sepals and exposing them for the most part, remote, orbicular, obtuse, adaxially glabrous, abaxially densely lepidote, brown. Flowers spreading to a right angle, slightly downward secund, sessile, the lower internodes longer than the flowers and the upper shorter. Sepals 6 mm long, 4 mm wide, strongly asymmetric (winged at one side), obovate, carinate, free, sub-truncate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially densely lepidote, pale brown. Petals 8 mm long, cream, the blade spreading.

Distribution:— Ecuador, province of Napo.

Etymology: —It is named after the Cordillera de los Guacamayos, the area where the type was collected.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — ECUADOR: Napo: Tena, Cordillera de los Guacamayos , 2200 m, July 1991, J . M . Manzanares 5961 ( QCNE); Tena, Cordillera de los Guacamayos , Chacana Urcu , 2200 m, J . M . Manzanares 5662 ( QCNE), 8 June 1996; Archidona, sector Guacamayos, 00˚37´22´´ S , 77˚49´54´´W, 2228 m, 20 November 2005, J . M . Manzanares & E . Gouda 7797 ( QCNE, U) .

Observations:—The general appearance of the inflorescence of Racinaea guacamayosensis is like that of R. diffusa (L.B.Sm.) Spencer & Smith (1993: 153) , from which it can be distinguished by: its smaller size up to 80 cm (vs. over 100 cm long), its ferruginous indument (vs. a cinereous indument); plant not forming a pseudobulb (vs. forming a pseudobulb); leaf-blades triangular with a long attenuate apex (vs. sub-ligulate with acuminate apex); floral bracts 3.5 mm long, orbicular with obtuse apex (vs. 5 mm long, ovate with acute apex); sepals 6–7 mm long (vs. 4.5 mm long); flowers secund (vs. not secund) and petals cream (vs. petals white). Following the key on page 694 in the monograph of Smith & Downs (1977), this species keys out as Racinaea penlandii (L.B.Sm.) Spencer & Smith (1993: 156) , but R. guacamayosensis can be distinguished from this species by its larger size: up to 80 cm long including inflorescence (vs. 60 cm long); plant not forming a pseudobulb (vs. forming a long ellipsoid pseudobulb); leaf-blades triangular, 30–40 cm long, 4 cm wide (vs. 10– 15 cm long, 0.7–1 cm wide); spikes 3–6 cm long and lax (vs. 1–1,5 cm long and dense); rachis flexuous (vs. geniculate); floral bracts reaching half of the length of the sepals (vs. slightly inferior to the sepals); sepals 6–7 mm long (vs. 5 mm long) and flowers secund (vs. flowers not secund).

According to Smith’s key and description, R. penlandii can have secund flowers, but after studying the type and the plants in habitat, this seems not to be the case.

Comment:—In June 1996 PROBONA (Programa de Bosques Nacionales Andinos) financed the study of the Bromeliaceae of Cordillera de los Guacamayos, an area close to Tena, in the eastern province of Napo, with the idea of selecting the most ornamental bromeliads, teaching the local communities how to cultivating and market them, with the aim to provide the communities with an alternative income to logging, in the hope to prevent further destruction of primary forests. During the expedition in Chacana Urcu, we found, for the first time, this beautiful new species (Manzanares 5662, QCNE). My first impression was that it was closely related to R. diffusa , but more material was needed for an objective evaluation. Unfortunately we could not repeat the expedition immediately. Time passed and in November 2005 we travelled to Tena, crossing the Cordillera de los Guacamayos. The second author found this new Racinaea species in fruiting stage growing in a tree close to the road. Later we had the opportunity to study the plant in flower, confirming its affinity with R. penlandii and R. diffusa . After studying the types of both species carefully, we are now convinced that this Racinaea represents a new species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Type of Racinaea guacamayosensis Manzan. & Gouda in habitat.

FIGURE 5. Detail of the inflorescence of Racinaea guacamayosensis Manzan. & Gouda

FIGURE 6. Racinaea guacamayosensis Manzan. & Gouda –A. Spike –B. Flower –C. Flower bract. –D. Sepal. –E. Petal.