Aechmea altocaririensis 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 : 6-9

Aechmea altocaririensis Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 , A–B, 3 , I–M)

Ab Aechmea subintegerrima , cui affinis, laminis foliorum latioribus apice nigrescentibus, floribus minoribus et sepalis virido-flavescentibus brevioribusque differt; a Aechmea andersoniana , cui similis, laminis foliorum latioribus apice nigrescentibus, inflorescentia longiora, floribus minoribus et petalis apicem versus lilacinis acuminatisque recedit.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: próximo a divisa com a Bahia, Santa Maria do Salto, distrito de Talismã, Parque Estadual do Alto Cariri , fazenda de Flozino Teixeira, 16º 23.16’ S, 40º 02.24’ W, 910 m, 24 March 2010, Leme 8217 (holotype RB, isotype HB) .

Plants epiphytic or terrestrial, 60–70 cm tall when flowering, shortly stoloniferous. Leaves 12 to 16 in number, thinly coriaceous, suberect, forming a narrow funnelform rosette, shorter than to exceeding the inflorescence; sheaths narrowly oblong-ovate, 14–17 × 4.3–5.0 cm, inconspicuously white lepidote on both sides, nerved, purple adaxially and toward the apex, greenish abaxially; blades linear, the apex acuminate to triangular and apiculate, 25–85 × 2.0– 3.2 cm, canaliculate and narrowed toward the base, bearing a U-shaped protruded central channel near the base, entire or remotely spinulose near the apex, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote on both sides, green to yellowish green or sometimes reddish, except for the blackish apex, finely nerved. Peduncle erect, slender, terete, 40–45 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm in diameter, subdensely white sublanate to glabrescent, green; peduncle bracts linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 35–60 × 8–12 mm, membranaceous, erect, shorter than to exceeding the internodes, exposing the peduncle in most part, entire, pale green, nerved, inconspicuously white sublanate mainly toward the base. Inflorescence simple, dense, cylindric, 12–16 cm long, ca. 2.5 cm in diameter (excluding the petals), rachis green, subdensely and inconspicuously white sublanate, angled; floral bracts ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate-caudate, spreading with the flowers, membranaceous, pale yellowish-green, inconspicuously white sublanate near the base, entire, finely nerved, 8–23 × 2.5–4.5 mm, the lower ones equaling to exceeding the flowers, the upper ones shorter than the sepals. Flowers 60–90 in number, 15–16 mm long, sessile, polystichously arranged, spreading, odorless, anthesis diurnal; sepals ovate, 6–7 × 4.5 mm (including the apical mucro), strongly asymmetric, the lateral wing rounded, membranaceous, exceeding the apex (without mucro), bearing a suberect to spreading slender mucro 2–3 mm long at the apex, subfree, ecarinate, sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote, yellowish-green; petals narrowly subspatulate, apex triangular and apiculate, 11–12 × 3 mm, free, without appendages, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities ca. 6 mm above the base and equaling the filaments; the blade lilac, divergent and recurved at the apex at anthesis. Stamens included; filaments the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals at the base for ca. 4 mm, the antesepalous ones free; anthers linear-saggitate, apex acuminate, ca. 3 mm long, dorsifixed near the middle; pollen ellipsoid, biporate, pores small, exine reticulate, lumina subrounded, muri slightly thickened; stigma conduplicatespiral, subcylindric, whitish-lilac, blades shortly lacerate-papillose, ca. 3 mm long; ovary broadly obconic, terete, ca. 5 mm long, ca. 4.5 mm in diameter at the apex, pale green; epigynous tube inconspicuous, ca. 0.5 mm long; placentation apical; ovules obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Aechmea altocaririensis was discovered inside the limits of the State Parque of Alto Cariri, situated in Minas Gerais state at the border with the state of Bahia. It grows as an understory epiphyte or straight on the forest floor in the bromeliad-rich, montane Atlantic Forest which covers the higher parts of the local mountains, at the elevation of ca. 900 m, forming small to medium-sized clumps. Discovery occurred during a Bromeliaceae survey within the park with the support of the Instituto Estadual de Florestas (IEF) of Minas Gerais.

Aechmea altocaririensis shares its understory habitat with Aechmea alba Mez , Nidularium procerum Lindm. , Vriesea ensiformis (Vell.) Beer , V. longicaulis (Baker) Mez , and Tillandsia heubergeri R.Ehlers , to name a few species.

Etymology:—The epithet refers to the State Park of Alto Cariri, where it was originally discovered.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: próximo a divisa com a Bahia, Santa Maria do Salto, distrito de Talismã, Parque Estadual do Alto Cariri , fazenda de Flozino Teixeira, 16º 23.16’ S, 40º 02.24’ W, 910 m, 24 March 2010, Leme 8224 ( RB) ; Leme 8233 ( RB) ; Leme 8237 ( RB) ; Kollmann 11895 ( MBML) .

Observations:— Aechmea altocaririensis is a member of the A. lingulata complex, being closely related to A. subintegerrima (Philcox) Leme. The morphological differences when compared to that species are: wider leaf blades (2.0– 3.2 cm vs. ca. 1.2 cm wide) with blackish apices (vs. apex color not distinct from the color of the rest of the blades), smaller flowers (15–16 mm vs. ca. 20 mm long) and sepals yellowish-green (vs. purple) that are shorter (6–7 mm vs. ca. 9 mm long). Using the identification key provided by Leme & Siqueira-Filho (2006) for the species in the A. lingulata complex, this new species keys out as A. andersoniana Leme & Luther (2003: 3) , but it differs from it by the broader leaf blades (2.0- 3.2 cm vs. 1.4– 1.7 cm wide) with blackish apices (vs. apex color not distinct from the rest of the blades), longer inflorescences (12–16 cm vs. 5.5–7.0 cm long) with smaller flowers (15–16 mm vs. ca. 20 mm long), and by the petal being lilac (vs. white) with an acuminate apex (vs. apex acute to subacute).

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–B. Aechmea altocaririensis (Leme 8217). A. Habit. B. Floral details. C–E. Aechmea limai (Leme 6307). C. Habit. D. Inflorescence. E. Floral details.

FIGURE 3. A–H. Aechmea aiuruocensis (Leme 8113). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Basal margin of the leaf blade. C, D. Floral bracts. E. Flower. F, G. Sepals. H. Petal and stamens. I–M. Aechmea altocaririensis (Leme 8217). I. Leaf blade apex. J. Basal floral bract. K. Flower. L. Sepal. M. Petal. N–Q. Aechmea limai (Leme 6307). N. Leaf blade apex. O. Flower. P. Sepal. Q. Petal. R–Z. Aechmea recurvipetala Leme & L.Kollmann (Leme 8207). R. Leaf blade apex. S. Basal margin of the leaf blade. T. Floral bract. U. Flower without petals. V. Abaxial sepal. W. Adaxial sepal. Y. Corolla. X. Petal. Z. Longitudinal section of the ovary.