Viridantha zamudioi Hern.

Hernández-Cárdenas, Rodrigo Alejandro, Espejo-Serna, Adolfo & Ferrari, Ana Rosa López-, 2021, Two new species of Viridantha (Tillandsioideae; Bromeliaceae), Phytotaxa 520 (1), pp. 97-105 : 100-104

Viridantha zamudioi Hern. -Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr., sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 3F, F 1 , F 2 , 4 . Table 1)

The new species is similar to Viridantha mauryana but differs in the width of the spikes (1.7–2 vs. 1–1.5 cm), in the size of the floral bracts (1.8–2 × 0.8–1 vs. 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 cm), in the shape of the sepals (lanceolate vs. ovate), and in its geographical distribution (Querétaro vs. Hidalgo).

TYPE:— MÉXICO. Querétaro: municipio de Peñamiller, 3.1 km al noreste de Adjuntas de Higueras, Cañón del Paraíso (21°01′8.62″N, 99°42′3.25″W), 1210 m, February 10, 2021 , R. Hernández-Cárdenas & S. Lara-Godínez 2454 (holotype UAMIZ!).

Plants saxicolous, flowering 10–13 cm tall, 15–20 cm in diameter; rosettes acaulescent, spherical in outline, solitary or forming clumps of two to four rosettes. Leaves numerous, longer than the inflorescence; sheaths cream coloured toward the base on both sides, square to transversely widely oblong, 10–14 mm long, 12–14 mm wide, densely grey lepidote, glabrous at the base on both surfaces; blades densely grey lepidote, linear triangular, 80–100 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, recurved, long attenuate. Inflorescence short pedunculate, nested in the center of the rosette, erect, onesbranched, with 2–3 spikes; peduncle conspicuous, 10–20 mm long, fully covered by bracts; peduncle bracts similar to the leaves, longer than the inflorescence but decreasing in size distally, densely grey lepidote. Spikes white-greenish, rose to at the apex, erect and appressed to the peduncle, dorsiventrally flattened, elliptic, 28–33 mm long, 17–20 mm wide, 2–4 flowered; floral bracts white greenish to rose, ovate when extended, 18–20 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, acute to acuminate, nerved, carinate, lepidote on both surfaces. Flowers distichous, erect and appressed to the rachis; sepals yellowish-green towards the base, pale rose at the apex, lanceolate, 12–15 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, acuminate, the two adaxial ones carinate, glabrous adaxially, scattered lepidote abaxially; petals white in its basal half, to dark green in its apical half, narrowly oblong, 16–17 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, rounded to obtuse; stamens all equal; filaments white, filiform, 11–15 mm long; anthers black, 2.5–3 mm long; ovary green, ellipsoid, 3–5 mm long, 2–3 mm in diameter; style white, 10–15 mm long; stigma branches green. Capsules not seen.

Distribution and habitat: — Viridantha zamudioi is only known from the municipality of Peñamiller, northeastern Querétaro, in the Sierra Madre Oriental biogeographic province (according to Morrone et al. 2017), Figure 1 . There is a big canyon in this area called “Cañón del Paraíso” where predominates the xerophilous scrub vegetation; V. zamudioi grows solitary or forming clumps of two to four rosettes on cliffs, with presence of Hechtia zamudioi Espejo, López-Ferrari et Ramírez (2008: 55) , Tillandsia albida Mez (1916: 248) , T. recurvata Linnaeus (1753: 287) , and some species of Agave and Anacardiaceae species, at elevations between 1,210 and 1,300 m. Plants of V. zamudioi bloom in February.

Etymology: —The specific epithet honors Dr. Sergio Zamudio, botanical colleague and a very good friend, who has made important contributions to the knowledge of the vegetation of the state of Querétaro and for the project Flora of the Bajío and adjacent regions.

Paratypes: — MÉXICO. Querétaro: municipio de Peñamiller, 3.1 km al noreste de Adjuntas de Higueras, Cañón del Paraíso (21°01′8.62″N, 99°42′3.25″W), 1,210 m, February 10, 2021, R . Hernández-Cárdenas & S. Lara-Godínez 2457 (UAMIZ!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Viridantha atroviridipetala (Matuda) Espejo, V. grandispica (Ehlers) Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López- Ferr., Viridantha mauryana (L.B. Sm.) Espejo, V. pachycaulis Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr., V. zamudioi Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr., and V. yagulensis (Ehlers) Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr.

FIGURE 2. Viridantha pachycaulis Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. A. Habitat at Mesa de los Caballos. B–D. Plants on cliffs. E–F. Inflorescence. G. Fruits. H. Spikes. I. Flower and floral bract. I1. Floral bract. I2. Sepals. I3. Petals. I4. Stamens. I5. Pistil (Photographs by R. Hernández-Cárdenas).

FIGURE 3. Comparing six Viridantha species. Rosettes, spikes and flowers of: V. atroviridipetala (Matuda) Espejo (A, A1, A2.), V. pachycaulis Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. (B, B1, B2.), V. yagulensis (Ehlers) Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. (C, C1, C2.), V. grandispica (Ehlers) Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. (D, D1, D2.), V. mauryana (L.B. Sm.) Espejo (E, E1, E2.), and V. zamudioi Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. (F, F1, F2.). (Photographs A, E, F1, F2 by A. Espejo-Serna; B–D, F–E1, A2–E2 by R. Hernández-Cárdenas).

FIGURE 4. Viridantha zamudioi Hern.-Cárdenas, Espejo & López-Ferr. A–B. Habitat at Cañón del Paraíso. C. Plants on cliffs. D–E. Inflorescence. F. Spike. G. Flower and floral bract. G1. Floral bract. G2. Sepals. G3. Petals. G4. Stamens. G5. Pistil (Photographs D, F–G5 by A. Espejo-Serna; A–C, E by R. Hernández-Cárdenas).