Vriesea santaleopoldinensis Leme & L.Kollmann, 2011

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2011, New species and a new combination of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 16 (1), pp. 1-36 : 30-33

Vriesea santaleopoldinensis Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 12 , A–B, 13 , A–F)

A Vriesea rafaelii cui affinis, laminis foliorum prope basin dense minuteque vinoso-maculatis, bracteis scapi dense vinoso-maculatis, bracteis floriferis 1/3 altidudinem sepalorum aequantibus, dense vinoso-maculatis, floribus plus numerosis, pedicellis longioribus, sepalis vinoso-maculatis et petalis apice angustioribus, appendicis basalibus longioribus differt.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Leopoldina, Kollmann 11840, fl. cult. 1 December 2009 (holotype RB, isotype MBML) .

Plant rupicolous, flowering ca. 120 cm high, propagating by basal shoots. Leaves 28–30, suberect-arcuate, forming a broadly crateriform rosette, chartaceous; sheaths broadly elliptic-ovate, 14–19 × 9–13 cm, densely brown lepidote on both sides, toward the base pale colored on both sides, near the apex green with small, densely arranged, wine colored spots mainly abaxially; blades lingulate, not narrowed at the base, apex rounded to obtuse and minutely apiculate, (18–)30–35 × 7.0– 8.8 cm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote and covered by a thin layer of epicuticular white wax on both sides, nerved, abaxially green and ornamented with dense and minute wine colored spots near the base, adaxially green. Peduncle erect, 55–62 cm long, 0.8–1.0 cm in diameter, green with inconspicuous wine spots, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, broadly ovate to suborbicular, subacute to obtuse and minutely apiculate, imbricate, equaling to slightly shorter than the internodes, green with densely arranged wine spots, glabrous or nearly so. Inflorescence simple, erect, attenuate toward the apex at early anthesis to oblong in outline at late anthesis, 29–47 × 9.0– 9.5 cm (excluding the petals), laxly flowered at anthesis, sometimes producing mucilaginous substance; rachis 5– 8 mm in diameter, smooth, flexuous, slightly angled, green with inconspicuous sparsely arranged wine spots, glabrous; floral bracts suborbicular, apex subdeltoid and minutely apiculate (basal ones) to narrowly emarginate or obtuse (median to apical ones), 18–28 × 20–27 mm, strongly convex, ecarinate, thinly coriaceous, bearing small decurrent auricles at the base, glabrous, not imbricate, reaching ca. 1/3 of the sepal length, pale greenish-yellow toward the base and green toward the apex and apical margins, with densely arranged wine spots. Flowers ca. 27 in number, 60–65 mm long, nocturnal, distichous, producing a strong garlic smell, laxly arranged at anthesis, subspreading to slightly reflexed mainly after anthesis, pedicels stout, ca. 15 mm long, ca. 9 mm in diameter at the apex and ca. 6 mm in diameter at the base, green, glabrous; sepals elliptic, rounded to obtuse, 32–34 × 16–17 mm, pale yellowish-green with wine spots mainly toward the apex and apical margins, ecarinate, glabrous or nearly so, strongly coriaceous near the base and thinly coriaceous toward the margins and apex, convex; petals obovate, 48 × 21–23 mm, apex narrowly emarginate, divergent, suberect, toward the apex at anthesis and forming a campanulate corolla ca. 35 mm in diameter, connate at the base for ca. 7 mm, pale yellow with densely arranged wine nerves at the apex; bearing 2 appendages at the base, ca. 17 × 3.5 mm, basally adnate for ca. 9 mm with the petals and with blades narrowly ovate, long caudate. Stamens shorter than the petals; filaments adnate to the petals for ca. 7 mm, dilated toward the apex; anthers ca. 13 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, sagittate, apex obtuse; stigma convolute-bladed, ca. 2.5 mm in diameter, blades densely papillose, yellow; ovary pale yellow; ovules caudate. Capsules ellipsoid, ca. 5 cm long.

Distribution and habitat:— Vriesea santaleopoldinensis occurs rupicolous on inselbergs surrounded by semideciduous Atlantic Forest in the state of Espírito Santo, mainly in the counties of Santa Leopoldina, Marilândia and Águia Branca. Usually , it grows at elevations of 700–900 m, associated with Alcantarea sp. (Bromeliaceae) , Coleocephalocereus sp. (Cactaceae) , Philodendron sp. (Araceae) , and Selaginella sp. (Selaginellaceae) , to name a few.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species is refers to the county of Santa Leopoldina where it was first recorded, and where it is most frequently observed.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Leopoldina, 14 November 2007, Kollmann 10165 ( MBML); 1 December 2009, Kollmann 11840 ( MBML); Marilândia, Liberdade (Água Viva), Pedra do Cruzeiro , propriedade de Aguilar A . Lovucini, 19º 20’ 53.07” S, 40º 33’ 03.6” W, 150–850 m, 18 January 2006, Demuner et al. 1669 ( MBML, NY); Águia Branca, Santa Luzia, propriedade de Ciro Ferreira, 18º 58’ 26” S, 40º 39’ 52” W, 400–600 m, 3 April 2007, Demuner et al. 3515 ( MBML) .

Observations:— Vriesea santaleopoldinensis is closely related to V.rafaelii Leme (1999: 163) , but can be distinguished by the leaf blades that bear dense and minute wine spots near the base (vs. green with darker green longitudinal lines and not spotted), by peduncle bracts densely wine spotted (vs. without spots), floral bracts reaching 1/3 of sepal length (vs. reaching 1/2 of sepal length) and densely white spotted (vs. without spots). The flowers are more numerous (ca. 27 vs. ca. 14 in number) with longer pedicels (ca. 15 mm vs. ca. 10 mm long), wine spotted sepals (vs. without spots) and by the petals with a narrowed apex and longer basal appendages (ca. 17 mm vs. ca. 14 mm long).

Figures

FIGURE 12. A–B. Vriesea santaleopoldinensis (Kollmann 11840). A. Habit. B. Floral detail. C–D. Vriesea serranegrensis (Fontana et. al. 2408). C. Inflorescence. D. Habit.

FIGURE 13. A–F. Vrieseasantaleopoldinensis (Kollmann 11840). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Flower. C. sepal. D. Corolla front view. E. Floral bract. F. Petal. G–K. Vriesea serranegrensis (Fontana et. al. 2408). G. Leaf blade apex. H. Flower. I. Floral bract. J. Sepal. K. Petal.