New Cryptanthus species (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil Souza, Everton Hilo De Leme, Elton M. C. Phytotaxa 2021 2021-10-20 523 2 179 191 E.H. Souza & Leme E. H. Souza & Leme 2021 [164,646,1332,1359] Liliopsida Bromeliaceae Cryptanthus Plantae Poales 2 181 Tracheophyta species flesherii sp. nov.   Diagnosis:—This new species can be distinguished from its morphologically closest relative,  C. ruthae, by its caulescent habit, 20–30 cmlong ( vs. stemless), shorter leaf blades ( 22–32 cm vs. to ca. 65 cmlong), with margins equally densely spinulose ( vs.entire except for its serrate distal end), shorter sepals ( ca. 12 mm vs. 17–20 mm), which are shorter connate at the base (for 5–6 mm vs. 8–12 mm), and narrower sepal lobes ( ca. 2.5 mm vs. 3–4 mmwide).   Type:—  BRAZIL. Bahia: Igrapíuna, BA001, Mata de Vila5, Trilha Principal, Reserva Ecológica Michelin,  171 melevation, 13º 49’ 15” S, 39º 12’ 14” W,  29 December 2018, flowered in cult.  27 February 2021, E.H. Souza180( holotype HURB!, isotype RB!).   Description:— Plantsterrestrial, caulescent, 20–30 cmhigh when in bloom, propagating by erect axillary shoots.  Leavesca. 20 innumber, spreading at anthesis, subdensely arranged; sheathsubtrapeziform, ca. 3.5 × 2.5 cm, green to bronze colored, densely and coarsely white lepidote abaxially, adaxially glabrous; bladenarrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate-caudate, distinctly narrowed toward the base but not pseudopetiolate, 22–32 × 2.4–3.3 cm, thinly coriaceous, slightly canaliculate, dull green to reddish-bronze colored mainly toward the apex, with a narrow thicker median channel, abaxially densely and coarsely white lepidote of trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote to glabrous, margins slightly undulate, densely spinulose; spinestriangular, antrorsely uncinate, greenish, ca. 0.3 mmlong, 1–2 mmapart. Inflorescencesessile, subcorymbose, ca. 3 cmlong, ca. 1.5 cmin diameter at the apex, once branched at the base and bearing an inconspicuous simple central portion with densely arranged staminate flowers surrounded by ca. 5 flower fascicles; primary bractsresembling the leaves; flower fasciclesca. 2 flowered, complanate, ca. 20 × 11 mm; floral bractsin the fascicles narrowly subtriangular-lanceolate, acuminate, 16–17 × 5–6 mm, membranaceous, hyaline toward the base and margins, pale brown toward the apex, sparsely pale brown lepidote mainly toward the apex, entire or nearly so, about equalling 2/3 of sepal length, carinate. Flowerssessile, odorless, the perfect ones ca. 33 mmlong, the staminate ones slightly shorter;  sepalsca. 12 mmlong, unequally connate for 5–6 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely brown lepidote mainly toward the apex, whitish-hyaline except for the pale brown apex, lobes ovate, acute, 5–6 × 2.5 mm, symmetrical, obtusely if at all carinate, margins entire to inconspicuously crenulate; petalsnarrowly spathulate, apex obtuse-emarginate, white, exceeding the stamens but spreading-recurved at anthesis and exposing them; those of the perfect flowers 26–27 × 3.5–4 mm, connate at the base for ca. 8 mm, bearing 2 conspicuous callosities at the base of the free lobes;  filamentsca. 20 mmlong, equally adnate to the petal-tube and free above it;  anthersca. 3.5 mmlong before dehiscence and 2 mmlong when dry, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base bilobed, apex apiculate; ovarynarrowly trigonous obovoid, ca.6.5 × 4.5 mm, white, glabrous; stigmaconduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 3 mmlong, ca. 0.8 mmwide, white, margins scalloped, without papillae; epigynous tubelacking; placentationapical; ovulesfew, obtuse. Fruitsnot seen.   Distribution, habitat and conservation:—  Cryptanthus flesheriigrows on the shaded forest floor in a Atlantic Forest fragment known as Mata de Vila 5, Reserva Ecológica Michelin, in the municipalites of Igrapinua and Ituberá, state of Bahia, Brazil( Fig. 1and 2 A). The cities are located in the southern macroregion of Bahiathat has a humid tropical climate and significant fragments of lowland evergreen Atlantic forest, as well as mangroves along the Serinhaém River. Its population is composed of medium-sized groups of individuals more or less sparsely distributed in the area with a population estimated of ca. 200 individuals always close to rocky outcrops. This new species is only known from its typelocality which is situated inside a private protected area (Reverva Ecológica Michelin) owned and maintained by the Michelin company. The GeoCAT (Bachmann et al.2011) estimated the extent of the occurrence of  C. flesheriias about 4.633 km 2, while its area of occupancy is 20.000 Km² (AOO), so classifying the species as critically endangered (CR) according to the criteria adopted by IUCN (2020).   Etymology:—The specific epithet honors the ecologist Kevin Michael Flesher, Director of the Reserva Ecológica Michelin and responsible for the conservation and research management of the area where this new species was discovered.  Observations:—  Cryptanthus flesheriiis morphologically the closest relative of  C. ruthae Philcox (1992: 268), a species known from Restinga habitats in the same region where this new species was found. However,  C. flesheriican be clearly distinguished from it by its caulescent habit, 20–25 cmlong ( vs. stemless), the spreading leaves at anthesis ( vs. suberect), shorter leaf blades ( 22–32 cm vs. to ca. 65 cmlong), with margins densely spinulose throughout ( vs.entire except for its serrate distal end), shorter sepals ( ca. 12 mm vs. 17–20 mm), which are shorter connate at the base (for 5–6 mm vs. 8–12 mm), and narrower sepal lobes ( ca. 2.5 mm vs. 3–4 mmwide). The distinctly caulescent habit of  C. flesheriirecalls some morphological resemblance with  C. reptansLeme & Siqueira (2006: 287), which is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of the northeastern state of Pernambuco, north of São Francisco river. Differences of this new species are: leaf blades with margins slightly undulate ( vs. strongly undulate) and bearing smaller spines ( ca. 0.3 mm vs. 0.5–1 mmlong), floral bracts equaling 2/3 of sepals length ( vs. equaling 1/2 of sepals length), sepals shorter connate at the base (for 5–6 mm vs. 8–9 mm) with acute lobes ( vs. acuminate), sparsely lepidote ( vs. glabrous), and petals obtuse-emarginate ( vs. acute to subacute). Despite imperfectly known due to the lack of data of some of its floral parts ( e.g., petals),  C. ubairensis Ramírez (1998: 221), originally collected in the county of Ubaíra, Bahia, is another putative relative. However,  C. flesheriidiffers from it by its shorter stem ( 20–25 cmlong vs. to ca. 123 cmlong), leaf blades adaxially inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote to glabrous ( vs. subdensely lepidote adaxially), inflorescence with a higher number of flower fascicles (ca. 5 vs. 1–3 innumber), floral bracts entire or nearly so ( vs. serrate), and sepals entire or inconspicuously crenulate ( vs.minutely serrate). 3391163306 2018-12-29 2021-02-27 2018-12-29 HURB, RB E. H. Souza Brazil Mata de Vila 171 -13.820833 Reserva Ecologica Michelin 21 -39.203888 Trilha Principal 2 181 1 Bahia holotype