Orthophytum pseudovagans Leme & Kollmann (2007: 155)

Louzada, Rafael Batista & Wanderley, Maria Das Graças Lapa, 2010, Revision of Orthophytum (Bromeliaceae): the species with sessile inflorescences, Phytotaxa 13, pp. 1-26 : 20

Orthophytum pseudovagans Leme & Kollmann (2007: 155) , fig. 13C.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Águia Branca , propriedade de Ciro Ferreira, 18º 58’40.5”S, 40º 39’56.1”W, 250 m, 27 April 2006, V. Demuner, L.F.S. Magnago, T. Cruz & E. Bausen 2270 (holotype MBML!, isotype HB not seen) .

Plants rupicolous or terrestrial, stoloniferous, stems elongate, 12–15 × 1.8 cm. Leaves slightly arching. Leaf sheaths green, ovate, 3.6 × 2–2.5 cm, lepidote at base, margins serrate, prickles ca 3 mm long. Leaf blades coriaceous, canaliculate, green, internal one reddish, narrowly triangular, 30–55 × 1.5–1.7 cm, attenuate, lepidote, glabrous and bright at base, margins serrate, prickles straight or retrorse, 2–3.5 mm long, apices acute. Inflorescences sessile, compound, many–flowered. Primary bracts subcoriaceous, green or red, very narrowly triangular, 3.2–12.7 × 1.8 cm, margins serrate, apices acuminate. Floral bracts subcoriaceous, green, asymmetrical, carinate, narrow triangular, ca 1.6 × 0.8 cm, lanate, margins serrate, apices acuminate. Sepals green, asymmetrical, carinate, triangular-lanceolate, 1.6–1.8 × 0.4 cm, densely lepidote, margins entire, apices acuminate. Petals green with white margins, spatulate, 1.7–1.8 × 0.5–0.6 cm, glabrous, obtuse, apices cucullate. Petal appendages cupuliform, lacerate, ca 3 mm from base. Callosities conspicuous, ca 2.5 mm long, apices not apiculate. Ovaries trigonous. Epigenous tubes absent. Ovules numerous. Fruits and seeds not seen.

Distribution and habitat: — Orthophytum pseudovagans is only known from Águia Branca county in the state of Espírito Santo, where it grows on rocky outcrops in the Atlantic rain forests at ca 250 m elevation.

IUCN conservation status: —DD. Orthophytum pseudovagans still lacks sufficient distribution data, because it was discovered only recently and is currently known only from the type material.

Comments: —According to Leme & Kollmann (2007), O. pseudovagans forms the ' vagans subcomplex' together with O. vagans Foster (1960: 59) and O. zanonii Leme (2004b: 72) . Long stems and obtuse–cucullate petal apices characterize this group of species.

Orthophytum pseudovagans differs from O. vagans mainly by its compound (vs. simple) inflorescences. It differs from O. zanonii by longer leaf blades (30–55 cm vs. 12–14.6), which are glabrous, bright green–spotted and red at the base (vs. lepidote and concolorous green).