Encholirium fragae Forzza, 2015

Forzza, Rafaela Campostrini & Leme, Elton M. C., 2015, Three new species of Encholirium (Bromeliaceae) from eastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 227 (1), pp. 13-24 : 14

Encholirium fragae Forzza sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

It shares with E. erectiflorum , E. horridum and E. ascendens inflorescences with double heterothetic racemes and tubular corollas with completely or almost completely included stamens, differing from these and all other species by its uniformly vinaceous corolla.

Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia: São Desidério, Sertaneja, cerca de 4 km de São Desidério na estrada para Correntina, vegetação sobre lapas de calcário, 581 m elevation, 12°22’46’’ S, 44°57’06’’ W, 17 May 2005, C. N. Fraga, M.M. Saavedra & J. Neri 2735 (holotype RB!, isotypes HUEFS!, US!).

Plants 2.2–3 m tall when flowering, rupicolous, clustering or solitary. Leaves erect, forming rosettes 0.6–1 m in diameter; sheaths much broader than the blades, broadly obovate, 4–4.7 × 7–7.5 cm, margins entire; blades 56–75 × 3–3.4 cm, very narrowly triangular to lanceolate, greyish, densely lepidote, margins spinose; spines 3–5 mm long, patent, the upper ones ca. 2 mm long, distinctly antrorse-uncinate. Peduncle ca. 1 m long, greenish-brown, erect, glabrous or sparsely lepidote; peduncle bracts exceeding the internodes, 16–47 cm long, erect, clasping the peduncle, lanceolate, greyish, green at the base, densely lepidote, margins spinose. Inflorescence ca. 1.10 m long, a heterothetic double raceme, laxly flowered, erect; rachis green, sparsely lepidote; primary bracts subtriangular at the base, blade long filiform-attenuate, spinose, the upper ones much reduced, narrowly triangular, attenuate, inconspicuously spinose to entire; branches (7–) 63 cm long, erect; floral bracts exceeding the pedicels, 12–20 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, lineartriangular, basally green, becoming completely stramineous at anthesis, margins entire or inconspicuously spinose. Flowers 2.5–4.2 cm long, polystichous, spreading, completely exposing the rachis, pedicelate; pedicels 5–12 mm long, brown; sepals 18–22 × 5–7 mm, lanceolate, apex long-attenuate, acute, margins entire, not imbricate, symmetrical, vinaceous; petals 28–32 × 6–7 mm, narrowly ovate, apex obtuse, recurved, margins entire, imbricate, symmetrical, vinaceous; stamens 26–27 mm long, completely included or with a fraction of the anthers exceeding the corolla; filaments free; anthers dorsifixed; ovary 1–1.2 cm long; style 1.6–1.8 cm long, exserted, vinaceous; stigma ca. 3 mm long, conduplicate-spiral, vinaceous. Capsule 1.5–2.5 cm long, globose, chestnut-brown; seeds ca. 3 mm long, flattened, falcate, surrounded by a continuous wing, brown.

Distribution and habitat: Encholirium fragae is a rupicolous species, growing in rock crevices on calcareous rocky outcrops in western Bahia. At the moment this species is only known from the type locality. However, there are many similar poorly collected, inaccessible limestone outcrops in the region that may harbour other populations of this species.

Conservation status:—The largest threat for limestone dwelling Encholirium is mining to make cement, a frequent activity both in the Jequitinhonha and São Francisco river valleys especially near urban and road developments. However, the paucity of data regarding the known population and the possibility of existence of other populations in the region has led us to consider the species as Data Deficient (DD) ( Amaro 2015).

Etymology: The specific epithet ‘ fragae ’ is dedicated to one of the collectors of the type specimen, botanist Claudio Nicoletti de Fraga , from Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden.

Observations: Encholirium fragae shares with E. erectiflorum L.B.Sm. (1970: 180) , E. horridum L.B.Sm. (1940: 32) and E. ascendens Leme (2010: 110) the inflorescences structure, the double heterothetic racemes (see Weberling 1989), a rare character within the genus. However, it is easy to separate E. fragae from these three species by its unique deep vinaceous corolla, while the others have yellow to pale green petals. Together with the unusual petal color, this new species has tubular corollas with stamens completely included or nearly so, while the other species do not have tubular corollas and have distinctly exserted stamens.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Encholirium fragae Forzza. A. habit; B. leaf; C. part of the inflorescence D. flower; E. floral bract; F. sepal; G. petal and stamens; H. anther; I. gynoecium; J. stigma; K. fruit (Fraga 2735).

FIGURE 2. Encholirium fragae Forzza. A. plant in flower; B. habitat; C. flower. D. top branch detail. Encholirium ascendens Leme. E. plants flowering in habitat. Photos by C.N. Fraga (A–D), E. Leme (E).