Neoregelia desenganensis Leme, 2013

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2013, Miscellaneous New species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 108 (1), pp. 1-40 : 26

Neoregelia desenganensis Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 15 A–D , 16 E–H )

This new species is closely related to Neoregelia fluminensis , differing by the inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote to glabrescent leaf blades, shorter peduncle, inflorescence with a higher number of flowers, and by the glabrous floral bracts. It also differs from N. petropolitana by the peduncle bracts up to reaching 1/4 of the sepal length, floral bracts up to reaching 1/3 of the sepal length, fewer flowers, broadly acute and minutely apiculate apex of the sepals, shorter pedicels, and by the whitish petals except for the light blue apex.

Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Santa Maria Madalena, Parque Estadual do Desengano, Pico do Desengano , 1653 m elevation, 21º 53.84’ S 41º 54.66’ W, 6 September 2008, E . Leme 7588 & A . Ilha (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants terrestrial, stoloniferous, stolons ca. 7 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diameter, bearing deciduous cataphylls. Leaves 17–25 in number, densely rosulate, forming a funnelform rosette; sheaths elliptic, 9–12 × 6–9 cm, subdensely and inconspicuously pale lepidote on both sides, distinctly nerved, purple toward the apex; blades linear, not narrowed at the base, 11–22 × 3.3–4 cm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote to glabrescent, finely nerved, lustrous, green with irregular and sparse darker green spots, thin in texture, apex rounded and shortly apiculate, margins laxly and inconspicuously spinulose, spines antrorse, 0.2–0.3 mm long, 5–25 mm apart. Peduncle 1–3.5 cm long, 0.8–15 mm in diameter, inconspicuously and sparsely pale lepidote to glabrescent, white; peduncle bracts obovate to broadly ovate, broadly acute and apiculate, entire, glabrescent, membranaceous, nerved, greenish to slightly wine colored near the apex, hyaline-white toward the base, the upper ones slightly involucral, suborbicular, up to equaling 1/4 of the sepal length. Inflorescence narrowly capitate, simple, subumbellate, sunk in the center of the rosette, ca. 45 mm long (excluding the petals), 25–45 mm in diameter, apex slightly rounded, densely flowered; floral bracts linear or sublinear, obtuse, cucullate, entire, membranaceous, nerved, glabrous, hyaline, 20–30 × 2.5–9 mm, up to reaching 1/3 of the sepal length. Flowers ca. 25 in number, 45–48 mm long (with extended petals), distinctly fragrant; pedicels 8–12 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm in diameter, terete, white, glabrous; sepals nearly asymmetric, subobovate, broadly acute, 14–15 × 6–7.5 mm, connate at the base for 2–3 mm, entire, ecarinate, white near the base and wine colored near the apex, glabrous; petals narrowly subspathulate, acute, 28–30 × 6–7 mm, connate at the base for 7–9 mm, suberect-incurved at anthesis, whitish except for the light blue apex, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities about equaling the filaments; filaments adnate to the petal tube and free above it; anthers ovate, 3–4 mm long, dorsifixed at 1/3 of their length above the base, base obtuse, apex apiculate; stigma conduplicate-spiral, ellipsoid, white, margins crenulate; ovary oblong-elliptic, ca. 6 mm long, ca. 4.5 mm in diameter, subterete, whitish, glabrous; ovules many, obtuse, placentation apical; epigynous tube inconspicuous. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Neoregelia desenganensis is a terrestrial, delicate species and one of the few representatives of Bromelioideae found at the summit of Pico do Desengano, about 1653 m elevation, in the Desengano state park, northern Rio de Janeiro state, a place dominated by Tillandsioideae . It forms small to medium-sized and dense groups of plants in shady and humid spots under the protection of the shrubby vegetation of the Campos de Altitude (high altitude fields), under the domain of the Atlantic Forest.

Etymology:—The name of this new species is an explicit reference to Desengano, the place where it was found.

Observations:— Neoregelia desenganensis is closely related to N. fluminensis Smith (1955: 27) and N. petropolitana Leme (1995: 199) , differing from the first one by the inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote to glabrescent leaf blades (vs. leaf blades completely covered by coarse trichomes), shorter peduncle (1–3.5 cm vs. ca. 6 cm long), inflorescence with more numerous flowers (ca. 25 vs. ca. 12) and by the glabrous floral bracts (vs. lepidote). The differences of this new species from N. petropolitana are, peduncle bracts up to reaching 1/4 of the sepal length (vs. about equaling the pedicels), floral bracts up to reaching 1/3 of the sepal length (vs. up to equaling the pedicels), fewer flowers (ca. 25 vs. ca. 45), broadly acute apex of the sepals (vs. shortly acuminate), shorter pedicels (8–12 mm vs. 25–27 mm long), and whitish petals except for the light blue apex (vs. white toward the base, greenish in the middle and lilac toward the apex).

Figures

FIGURE 15. A–D. Neoregelia desenganensis (Leme & Ilha 7588). A. General aspect of the type locality, the summit of Pico do Desengano, with Vriesea sp. population in the foreground. B. Habit. C. Close up of the inflorescence. D. Details of the flowers.

FIGURE 16. A–D. Cryptanthus viridipetalus (Leme et al. 8016). A. Basal portion of the leaf. B. Flower. C. Sepal. D. Petal with calli and one outer and inner stamen each. E–H. Neoregelia desenganensis (Leme & Ilha 7588). E. Leaf blade apex. F. Flower. G. Sepals. H. Petal with calli and one outer and inner stamen each. Scale bars = 1 cm.