Cipuropsis rubra (Ruiz & Pav.) Kessous

Kessous, Igor M. & Costa, Andrea F., 2023, Novelties in “ incertae sedis ” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision, Phytotaxa 585 (2), pp. 71-101 : 76-77

1.3 Cipuropsis rubra (Ruiz & Pav.) Kessous & A.F.Costa, comb. nov. ( Fig. 3 )

Basionym: — Tillandsia rubra Ruiz & Pavon (1802: 40) . Type: — PERU. Junin: Tarma, Ruiz & Pavon s.n. (lectotype MA810446 ! [hic designatus], isolectotypes MA810445 !, MA810447 !, F844091 [fragments]! [hic designatus]).

≡ Vriesea rubra (Ruiz & Pav.) Beer (1856: 98) .

≡ Phytarrhiza rubra É.Morren ex Baker (1889: 206) . pro. syn., nom. nud.

= Vriesea albiflora Ule (1907: 141) .

Type: — BRAZIL. Acre: Rio Juruá-Mirim, June 1901, Ule 5615 (lectotype MG!, isolectotypes G!, B!, F [fragments and photo]!— Designated by Smith 1956: 108) .

= Tillandsia rhododactyla Mez (1919: 76) .

Type: — GUYANA. Barima River , Northwest district, Mar. 1896, Jenman 7071 (lectotype BRG, isolectotypes B!, K!—Designated by Smith & Downs 1977: 1088) .

Description:—Plant epiphytic, flowering (55−)60−80(−120) cm high. Leave s 10−20 in number, forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 12−18 × 5−9 cm, densely lepidote on both surfaces; blade linear-oblong, 25–60 × 4–6 cm, apex obtuse, green, lepidote on both surfaces, slightly denser on the abaxial surface. Inflorescence compound, once-branched, 50–110 cm, erect; peduncle erect, 35–70 cm long and 4–7.5 mm in diameter, red-greenish, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, imbricate, triangular to ovate, 35–50 × 15–30 mm, green at the apex and reddish toward the base, lepidote on the adaxial surface; main axis straight, 7–20 cm long, 2.5–3.5 mm in diameter, glabrous; primary bracts ovate to narrowly triangular, 25–40 × 10–20 mm, red to salmon-red, glabrous on the abaxial surface and sparsely lepidote adaxially, scaly on the adaxial surface; spikes 5–10 in number (including the terminal one), 10–30 cm long, in an angle of 30–45º to the main axis, densely and distichously 7–25 flowered, strongly complanate, with 2 sterile bracts at the apex; rachis slightly geniculate, 8–25 cm long, 2.5–3 mm in diameter. Floral bracts elliptic, acute, 20–26 × 10–14 mm, carinate at the apex, salmon-orange (or red) with yellow apex and margins, equaling or slightly exceeding the sepals, glabrous, lustrous. Flowers 25–27 mm long, 5–8 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals narrowly oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 16–20 × 5–6 mm, free, pale yellow, ecarinate, subsymmetric, glabrous, lustrous on the abaxial surface, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface; corolla tubular; petals linear, narrowly elliptic, ca. 22 × 4.5 mm, yellowish-white, connate for ca. 2.8 mm, bearing two appendages at the base; petal appendages, ca. 6 × 1 mm, adnate to the base of the petals for ca. 4.2 mm, entire, the free lobe obtuse; stamens included, radially positioned, conglutinated after the dehiscence, surrounding the pistil; filament ca. 7.4 mm long, adnate to the base of the petals for 6.5–7 mm; anther dorsifixed ca. 5 × 0.4 mm, erects; pistil exceeded by the stamens; ovary short cylindrical, ca. 3.4 × 1.2 mm; style ca. 8.8 mm long; stigma short-sublinear, flat. Fruits fusiform, suberect, 2–2.5 cm; seeds including coma 13–16 mm long, apical coma ca. 0.2 mm, basal coma 7.1–9 mm.

Distribution: —This species occurs from Trinidad and Tobago to Peru, from sea level to ca. 3,000 m above sea level (at the type locality).

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —We propose this new combination here because of the presence of diagnostic morphological characteristics of Cipuropsis , such as white petals (rare in Vriesea ), conglutinated stamens surrounding the pistil (vs. free and often at the bottom or top of the corolla in Vriesea ), and the geographic distribution in northwestern or northern South America (vs. mainly on the Brazilian Shield). Gouda (1987) described the stigma as short-sublinear, and Mez (1934–1935) noted the possible presence of long-caudate ovules in V. albiflora (synonym of V. rubra )].

Ruiz & Pavon (1902) did not designate a type or mention any specimen in the description of Tillandsia rubra , only the illustration. However, we found specimens that were possibly used in the description of this taxon, since they are in the authors’ herbarium (MA), with notes suggesting they were used in the original work. Thus, we cannot assert that only the illustration was used, and therefore it was necessary to select a lectotype (see Shenzhen code Art. 9.1, Note 1, Ex. 2).

Phytarrhiza rubra É.Morren ex Baker was only cited (not accepted) as a synonym of T. rubra by Baker (1889), and is a nomen nudum.

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ rubra ” = red, refers to the color of the floral bracts, which are mainly reddish.

Representative Specimens Examined: — TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Charuma Forest , Tabaquite Trinidad, 2 August 1955, Aitken 99 B (US) ; Platanal, 1942, Pittendrigh 1110 (US). GUYANA. U. Takutu-U. Essequibo: Dadanawa , near, upper Rupununi R., 24–29 July 1922, Cruz 1709 (US). VENEZUELA. Bolívar: Puerta Lema to Sierra de Lema, August 1961, Steyermark 89667 (US) ; Rio Paramichi, 4° 2–12’ N, 63°1–5’ W, January 1962, Steyermark 90771 (US). COLOMBIA. Meta: Sierra de la Macarena, Caño Yerly , Phillipson et al. 1551 ( COL, US). ECUADOR. 6 October 1964, L. Moore BM-70 (US). PERU. San Martín: Mariscal Caceres, 7 October 1971, Schunke 5037 (US) ; ibidem, 3 October 1970, Schunke 4473 (US) ; Lorettó: along Rio Hualaga in vicinity of Lagunas, 8 July 1972, Croat 17869 (US).

Figures

FIGURE 3 Cipuropsis rubra (Ruiz & Pav.) Kessous & A.F.Costa. Original plate of the protologue (Ruiz & Pavon 1802, Fl. Peruv. 3: pl. 266).