Orthophytum mucugense Wanderley & Conceição (2006: 4)

Louzada, Rafael Batista & Wanderley, Maria Das Graças Lapa, 2010, Revision of Orthophytum (Bromeliaceae): the species with sessile inflorescences, Phytotaxa 13, pp. 1-26 : 15

Orthophytum mucugense Wanderley & Conceição (2006: 4) , figs. 8A–N, 13A.

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Mucugê, Parque Municipal Sempre-viva , cachoeira do Rio Tiburtino , 12°59’83”S, 42°20’91”W, 17 January 2006, M.G.L. Wanderley, A. Conceição, R. Louzada, S. Martins 2540 (holotype SP!, isotype HUEFS!) .

Plants rupicolous, stoloniferous, stems short, ca 1 × 1.3 cm. Leaves patent or arching. Leaf sheaths reddishwhite, ovate, 0.5–1 × 0.4–1 cm, glabrous, margins serrate, prickles ca 0.4 mm long. Leaf blades subcoriaceous, plane or slightly concave, green, partially to completely red at anthesis, linear-triangular, 2.5– 6.7 × 0.3–0.4 cm, attenuate, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces and with glandular trichomes on the base of the abaxial surfaces, margins serrate, prickles antrorse, ca 0.3–0.4 mm long, apices mucronulate. Inflorescences sessile, simple, many-flowered. Vestigial floral bract absent. Floral bracts subcoriaceous, green, symmetrical, carinate, ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.2 × 0.4–0.7 cm, with glandular trichomes, margins serrate, apices mucronulate. Sepals green, asymmetrical, carinate, narrowly triangular, ca 0.8 × 0.3 cm, with glandular trichomes, margins entire, apices acuminate. Petals white, linear–spatulate, ca 1.9 × 0.4 cm, glabrous, obtuse. Petal appendages sacciform, lacerate, ca 5 mm from base. Callosities inconspicuous. Stamens with antepetalous filaments ca 3 mm long and adnate to the petals, the antesepalous ones free, ca 7 mm long. Anthers yellow, ca 1.8 mm long, apices apiculate. Ovaries trigonous, styles ca 8 mm long. Epigenous tubes present, ca 0.5 mm long. Ovules numerous. Fruits subtrigonous. Seeds obtuse.

Distribution and habitat: — Orthophytum mucugense is only known from Mucugê county in Bahia. It grows on moist and shaded rocks near streams and waterfalls.

IUCN conservation status: —VU B2ab (ii, iii). Despite occurring within a protected area, Orthophytum mucugense is threatened due to the small population size and its limited distribution.

Comments: — Orthophytum mucugense is morphologically similar to O. humile , but the leaf shapes, colour and trichomes can be used to separate these two species. Orthophytum mucugense has leaves that are entirely red at anthesis, while O. humile has leaves that are wine red to pink at the apices, but white and green toward the base. The leaf blades of O. humile are densely lepidote on both surfaces, differing from O. mucugense with glabrous to sparsely lepidote leaf blades.

Additional specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Mucugê, Serra do Capa Bode , 28 October 1978, (fl), Martinelli 5521 ( RB) ; Parque Municipal Mucugê, cachoeira do Rio Tiburtino , 7 January 2003 (fr), Wanderley et al. 2367. ( SP) ; 17 December 2006 (fr), Louzada & Moreira 58 ( SP) .