Encholirium splendidum Forzza, 2015

Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini & Leme, Elton M. C., 2015, Three new species of Encholirium (Bromeliaceae) from eastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 227 (1), pp. 13-24 : 17-23

Encholirium splendidum Forzza sp. nov. ( Figs. 5 , 6 , 7 ).

This new species is closely related to Encholirium longiflorum but differs from it by its smaller flowering size (1.4–1.6 m vs. 2.5 m), smaller diameter of the leaf rosettes (20–40 vs. 100 cm), and green leaf blades (vs. silvery), which are smaller (28–33 × 1.8–2.2 cm vs. 50–83 × 5–8.3 cm).

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Santana, Distrito de Porto Novo, estrada Santana-Porto Novo, 8 km de Porto Novo, 470 m elevation, 13°14’08’’ S, 43°56’21’’ W, 17 July 2005, R. C. Forzza, B. R. Silva & R. Dias-Melo 4078 (holotype RB!, isotypes B!, HUEFS!, K!, NY!, SPF!, US!).

Plants flowering 1.4–1.6 m tall, rupicolous, propagating by long stolones, forming rosettes 20–40 cm in diameter. Leaves spreading to slightly reflexed; sheaths much broader than the blades, broadly obovate, 3.5–4.5 × 4.2–5.7 cm, margins entire; blades 28–33 × 1.8–2.2 cm, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, green to reddish, glabrous and lustrous, inconspicuously white lepidote on both sides, margins spinose; spines 3–5 mm long, broadly triangular, spreading to retrorse-uncinate. Peduncle 70–95 cm long, terminal, green, erect, glabrous; peduncle bracts the lower ones foliacious, exceeding the internodes, 18–32 cm long, divergent to recurved, the upper ones exceeding to shorter than the internodes, 5.5–9.5 cm long, green at the base or completely stramineous, divergent to erect, lanceolate, apex attenuate, glabrous to inconspicuously white lepidote, margins spinose. Inflorescence 48–62 cm long, racemose, simple, laxly flowered, erect; rachis green, glabrous; floral bracts small, much shorter than the pedicels, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, stramineous or green, glabrous, lanceolate to ovate, apex acute, margins entire. Flowers at anthesis 5.5–6.7 cm long, glabrous, polystichous, spreading, completely exposing the rachis; pedicels 2.2–4.2 cm long, green; sepals 7–11 × 4–6 mm, ovate-lanceolate, apex narrowly rounded, margins entire, not imbricate, symmetrical, green, sometimes with purplish-wine spots; petals 3–3.5 × 0.5–0.7 cm, oblong-lanceolate, apex narrowly rounded, curled, margins entire, not imbricate, symmetrical, green, sometimes with purplish-wine spots; stamens 2.8–3.2 cm long, exerted because of the recurving of the petals; filaments free, pale green; anthers dorsifixed; ovary 1–1.2 cm long, green; style 7–9 mm long, exerted because of the recurving of the petals, pale green; stigma ca. 3 mm long, conduplicate-spiral, pale green. Capsule 1.5–2.5 cm long, globose, chestnut-brown; seeds 3–4 mm long, flattened, falcate, surrounded by a continuous wing, brown.

Distribution and habitat:— Encholirium splendidum is a rupicolous species, growing on limestone rocky outcrops. It has been found in two different municipalities in the Rio São Francisco basin, western Bahia.

Conservation status:— This new species has a restricted range, known from two different localities, growing on calcareous rocky outcrops that are threatened by deforestation of the surrounding vegetation leading to habitat degradation due to increased fire risks and the arrival of invasive species. One of its known populations is directly affected by limestone mining for manufacturing cement. With an EOO <5.000 km ² and AOO <500 km ², this species is subject to at least five threatening situations along its distribution that is spread into two locations. Therefore, E. splendidum must be considered Endangered (EN) following the criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii) of the IUCN ( Amaro 2015).

Additional specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Santana, Distrito de Porto Novo , Estrada Santana-Porto Novo, 8 km de Porto Novo, 470 m elevation, 13°14’08’’ S, 43°56’21’’ W, 13 July 2007, fl., B. R. Silva & A. Ratusniak 1551 ( RB!) ; 8 km ao norte de Porto Novo, 465 m elevation, 13°14’19’’ S, 43°56’08’’ W, 13 July 2007, fl., M. C. Machado 275 ( RB!) ; Coribe, Alagoinha , 13°56’00” S, 44°43’56’’ W, 10 April 2005, fr., R. M. Castro 1188 ( HUEFS!) ; cerca de 5 km de São Félix do Coribe na estrada para Coribe, 454 m elevation, 13°25’53’’ S, 44°13’12’’ W, 20 July 2009, fr., C. N. Fraga et al. 2744 ( CEPEC!, RB!, SP!) ; cerca de 5 km S de São Félix do Coribe na estrada para Coribe, 545 m elevation, 13°35’10’’ S, 44°19’12’’ W, 11 April 2007, fl., L. P. Queiroz et al. 12834 ( HUEFS!) ; cerca de 4 km de São Félix do Coribe na estrada para Coribe, 520 m elevation, 13°37’33’’ S, 44°18’35’’ W, 8 June 2007, fr., M. M. M. Lopes 1394 ( CEPEC!, HUEFS!) .

Observations:— This new species is closely related to Encholirium longiflorum Leme (1995: 110) that also grows on limestone outcrop in northern Minas Gerais and western Bahia. The aforementioned species shares the relatively large flowers (between 5 and 7 cm long) and very reduced floral bracts in relation to the long pedicels. However, E. splendidum differs from E. longiflorum by its smaller size when flowering (1.4–1.6 m vs. 2.5 m), smaller diameter of the leaf rosettes (20–40 vs. 100 cm), and green leaf blades (vs. silvery), which are smaller (28–33 × 1.8–2.2 cm vs. 50–83 × 5–8.3 cm).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Encholirium splendidum Forzza.A. leaf; B. peduncle and inflorescence; C. inflorescence; D. flower in early anthesis; E. floral bract; F. sepal; G. petal and stamens; H. gynoecium; I. fruit; J. seed (Forzza 4078).

FIGURE 6. Encholirium splendidum Forzza. A. habitat; B. plant in flower; C. rosette; D. flowers with petals fully curly and stamens exserteds at anthesis; E. inflorescence. Photos by (A) A. Amorim, R. Forzza (B–C), M. Godoy (D–E).

FIGURE 7. A nectarivous bat of the subfamily Lonchophyllinae (Phyllostomidae) visiting a flower of Encholirium splendidum Forzza. Photos by M. Godoy.