Encholirium kranzianum Leme & 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 : 14-17

Encholirium kranzianum Leme & Forzza sp. nov. ( Figs. 3 , 4 )

This new species is related to E. pulchrum and E. scrutor , but can be easily distinguished by its unique nodding, pendulous bell-shaped flowers.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Bocaiuva, near the border with Turmalina and Carbonita, 1 km from the Canion of Jequitinhonha river, ca. 3 km after the bridge from Caçaratiba, 720 m elevation, 17°15’10.44” S, 43°05’49.56’’ W, 18 November 2013, W. Kranz 393, fl. cult. IV.2014 E. Leme 8801 (holotype RB!).

Plants 95 cm tall when flowering, rupicolous or saxicolous, clustering or solitary. Leaves spreading-recurved, forming rosettes 10–14 cm in diameter. sheaths much broader than the blades, broadly obovate, 1.5–2 × 2.5–2.8 cm; blades 6.5–8.5 × 0.8–1.2 cm, narrowly subtriangular-lanceolate, bronze colored, densely white lepidote on both sides to sparsely white lepidote toward the apex, margins densely to subdensely spinose; spines 1.5–2.5 mm, triangular, straight to slightly retrorse, densely white lepidote toward the base. Peduncle 65–68 cm long, dark green to dark purple, erect, glabrous, covered by a thin and inconspicuous layer of white wax; peduncle bracts the lower ones exceeding to shorter than the internodes, the upper ones many times shorter than the internodes, stramineous, recurved, narrowly subtriangular-lanceolate, apex acute-attenuate, glabrescent to glabrous, margins inconspicuously spinose. Inflorescence ca. 24 cm long, racemose, simple, erect, laxly flowered, covered by a thin inconspicuous layer of white wax; rachis dark purple, glabrous; floral bracts much shorter than the pedicels, 5–8 × 1–3 mm, stramineous, glabrous, narrowly subtriangular-lanceolate, apex caudate, margins inconspicuously spinulose to entire. Flowers 4–5.5 cm long, pendulous bell-shaped, glabrous, polystichously arranged, spreading, completely exposing the rachis, slightly fragrant; pedicels 2.5–3.5 cm, divergent to spreading, distal end geniculate, dark purple; sepals 7–8 × 5–6 mm, broadly oblongovate, apex subacute to obtuse and inconspicuously apiculate, not imbricate, symmetrical, dark purple, margins inconspicuously denticulate near the apex, sparsely with inconspicuous filamentous trichomes; petals ca. 1.1 × 1.1 cm, broadly obovate to orbicular, apex broadly rounded, margins irregularly crenulate, imbricate, symmetrical, green except for a dark purple central-apical portion, forming a narrow campanulate corolla ca. 1 cm in diameter; stamens ca. 1.2 cm long, exserted; filaments free, green; anthers dorsifixed; ovary ca. 5 mm long, green; style ca. 6 mm long, slightly exserted, green; stigma ca. 2 mm, conduplicate-spiral, green. Capsule unknown.

Distribution and habitat: — This new species was collected at the outer slopes of the southern part of the Espinhaço Mountain Range (Cadeia do Espinhaço), within the municipalities of Bocaiúva and Diamantina. Growing in slightly lower than average Campos Rupestres vegetation (at 720 m elevation). The saxicolous or rupicolous plants are found on quartzitic rocks and sandy soil. The two small known populations form densely aggregated groups of plants displaying few to several rosettes.

Conservation status: — Encholirium kranzianum has AOO smaller than 10 km ² and its two known populations are found close to each other, being subject to a single threat situation. It is suspected that the species may be suffering habitat quality loss as well as a decline in its AOO, as one of the populations is found within pastureland. Based on criteria of the IUCN B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii), E. kranzianum is considered Critically Endangered (CR, Amaro 2015).

Etymology: — This species is named after the collector of the type specimen, the agronomist and bromeliad enthusiast Walter M. Kranz, who introduced many new and unusual Dyckia and Encholirium species into cultivation.

Additional specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Diamantina, Vila Olhos d’Água , margens da BR 451, 110 km de Diamantina, 17°34’34” S, 43°31’17’’ W, 4 April 2008, fl. cult. April 2014, M. Peixoto s.n. (RB 607110!).

Observations: — Encholirium kranzianum is closely related to E. pulchrum Forzza et al. (2012: 153) and E. scrutor ( Smith 1987: 151) Rauh (1987: 94) , but it can be easily distinguished from the first one by the shorter leaf blades (6.5–8.5 cm vs. 20–25 cm), which are white lepidote toward the base (vs. glabrous except for the lepidote margins), margins densely (vs. laxly) spinose, flowers bell-shaped and pendulous (vs. cup-shape and erect to spreading), sepals dark purple (vs. green), petals green except for the dark purple median-apical portion (vs. completely green) and by the stamens distinctly exserted (vs. included). On the other hand, it differs from E. scrutor by its taller habit when in bloom (ca. 95 cm vs. 19–56 cm), subdensely to densely spinose leaf blades (vs. entire to sparsely spinulose), longer inflorescence (ca. 24 cm vs. 3–16 cm), flowers bell-shaped and pendulous (vs. cup-shape and erect to spreading), dark purple pedicels and sepals (vs. pale pink), petals which are green except for the dark purple central-apical portion (vs. completely green), and distinctly exserted stamens (vs. included).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Encholirium kranzianum Leme & Forzza A. rosette; B. plant in flower; C. part of the peduncle and inflorescence; D. flower; E. floral bract; F. sepal; G. petal and stamen; H. gynoecium (Kranz 393).

FIGURE 4. Encholirium kranzianum Leme & Forzza A. plants in habitat; B. plant in flower in habitat; C. flower; D. rosettes; E. inflorescence. Photos by (A) W. Kranz and (B–E) E. Leme.