Neoregelia watersiana Leme, 2013

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2013, Miscellaneous New species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 108 (1), pp. 1-40 : 30-32

Neoregelia watersiana Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 18 A–D , 19 G–L )

This new species is closely related to Neoregelia kautskyi , differing by the comparatively longer leaf blades, with longer marginal spines, inflorescence with higher number of flowers, floral bracts reaching up to the middle of the sepals, and by the shorter petals, which are white except for the pale green portion slightly above the anthers and the purple apical margins and apex. It is also related to N. gavionensis , but differs by the wider leaf blades, with laxly to subdensely spinose margins, and flowers with comparatively shorter pedicels. When compared to N. coriacea it differs by the narrower leaf blades, sepals shortly connate at the base, and by petals shortly connate at the base, white except for the pale green portion slightly above the anthers and the purple apical margins and apex.

Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Santa Maria Madalena, Parque Estadual do Desengano, Morumbeca , 1052 m elevation, 21º 52.60’ S 41º 54.96’ W, 15 October 2009, E . Leme 8045, P . Waters & R . Oliveira (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants epiphytic, propagating by basal shoots. Leaves ca. 12 in number, coriaceous, arcuate to spreadingrecurved at anthesis, forming at the base a crateriform rosette; sheaths broadly elliptic to suborbicular, subdensely whitish lepidote on both sides, green toward the apex and whitish near the base, subcoriaceous, elliptic, 10–11 × 8–9 cm; blades sublinear, slightly narrowed near the base, 19–30 × 4–4.7 cm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote abaxially, glabrous adaxially, green to dark red toward the apex, subacute to obtuse and distinctly apiculate, margins laxly to subdensely spinose, spines 1.5–3 × 1 mm, narrowly triangular, strongly antrorse-uncinate, 5–15 mm apart. Peduncle ca. 2 cm long, ca. 1.1 cm in diameter, glabrous, white; peduncle bracts broadly ovate, acute and distinctly apiculate, spinulose at the apex, sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote, nerved, whitish, the upper ones involucral, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 cm, acute and slenderly apiculate, slightly exceeding the ovary. Inflorescence globose-capitate, simple, subcorymbose, sunk in the center of the rosette, ca. 4.3 cm long (excluding the petals), 5.5–6 cm in diameter at the apex, densely flowered, apex nearly flat; floral bracts the outer ones resembling the involucral bracts but narrower, the inner ones sublinear-lanceolate to linear, cymbiform, ecarinate, apex acute, cucullate and shortly apiculate, entire, sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote to glabrous, thin in texture, nerved, green except for the vinose apex, 27–33 × 5–10 mm, up to equaling the middle of the sepals. Flowers ca. 80 in number, 45– 46 mm long (with extended petals), slightly fragrant, pedicels 6–8 × 1.5 mm (inner ones) to ca. 15 × 2 mm (outer ones), subterete (inner ones) to slightly complanate but not at all dilated toward the base (outer ones), white, sparsely and inconspicuously lepidote; sepals narrowly lanceolate, acuminate and slenderly caudate, asymmetric with the inconspicuous wing distinctly shorter than the midnerve, ca. 19 × 6 mm, connate at the base for 1.5–2 mm, entire, ecarinate, green toward the apex and reddish at the base, thin in texture, glabrous; petals lanceolate, acuminate, ca. 26 × 5 mm, connate at the base for ca. 7 mm, spreading at anthesis, white except for the pale green portion slightly above the anthers and the purple apical margins and apex, bearing 2 longitudinal callosities nearly equaling the anthers; filaments, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 9 mm, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petal tube and free above it; anthers ovate, ca. 2.5 mm long, fixed at 1/4 of their length above the base, base obtusely bilobed, apex acute; stigma conduplicate-spiral, subcylindrical, white, ca. 5 mm long; ovary oblong-ellipsoid, ca. 10 × 5 mm, terete, white except for the green apex, glabrous; epigynous tube inconspicuous; ovules many, obtuse; placentation apical. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Neoregelia watersiana is a dweller of the canopy of the hygrophilous Atlantic Forest of the county of Santa Maria Madalena, northern Rio de Janeiro state. It forms dense clumps on the taller trees, about 1056 m elevation, in a mountainous region inside the limits of the State Parque of Desengano, which is known for the rich bromeliad flora with many endemic species.

Etymology:—The name of N. watersiana honors one of its collectors, Peter Waters from New Zealand, bromeliad specialist, New Zealand director and Honorary Trustee of the Bromeliad Society International.

Observations:—This new species is closely related to N. kautskyi Pereira (1971: 82) but can be distinguished from it by the comparatively longer leaf blades (19–30 cm vs. 8–18 cm long), with longer marginal spines (1.5–3 mm vs. ca. 0.5 mm long), inflorescence with more numerous flowers (ca. 80 vs. 30–45 in number), floral bracts reaching up to the middle of the sepals (vs. equaling to slightly exceeding the ovaries), and by the shorter petals (ca. 26 mm vs. ca. 35 mm long), which are white except for the pale green portion slightly above the anthers and the purple apical margins and apex (vs. white except for the violet apex).

When compared to N. gavionensis Martinelli & Leme (1986: 71) , this new species differs by the wider leaf blades (4–4.7 cm vs. ca. 3 cm wide), with laxly to subdensely spinose margins (vs. entire), and flowers with comparatively shorter pedicels (6–15 mm vs. 10–20 mm long).

Neoregelia watersiana is also related in some degree to N. coriacea ( Antoine 1884: 51) Smith (1955: 27) , differing by the narrower leaf blades (4–4.7 cm vs. ca. 6 cm wide), sepals shortly connate at the base (vs. highconnate), and by petals shortly connate at the base (vs. high-connate) and white except for the pale green portion slightly above the anthers and the purple apical margins and apex (vs. violet with white margins).

Figures

FIGURE 18. A–D. Neoregelia watersiana (Leme et al. 8045). A. Epiphytic habit of N. watersiana (red leafed plants) at the type locality, about 20 m above the ground, in the forest canopy. B. Habit of type specimen growing under less intensive light exposure. C. Details of the inflorescence and flowers. D. Habit of a juvenile specimen growing under intense sunlight.

FIGURE 19. A–F. Neoregelia insulana (Peres s.n.). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Spines of the basal portion of the leaf blade. C. Floral bract. D. Flower. E. Sepal. F. Petal with calli and one outer and inner stamen each. G–L. Neoregelia watersiana (Leme et al. 8045). G. Leaf blade apex. H. Spines of the basal portion of the leaf blade. I. Floral bracts. J. Flower. K. Sepal. L. Petal with calli and one outer and inner stamen each. Scale bars = 1 cm.