Vriesea sanctaparecidae Leme, 2013

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2013, Miscellaneous New species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 108 (1), pp. 1-40 : 35-37

Vriesea sanctaparecidae Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 21 H–L , 22 A–E )

This new species differs from Vriesea crassa by the longer inflorescence, lateral branches with higher number of flowers, longer and narrower floral bracts, which equal the sepal length, and pale wine colored petals. It also differs from V. fontanae by the inflorescence with comparatively higher number of branches, shorter lateral branches with shorter stipes and the reduced number of flowers, soon drying floral bracts which are paleaceous toward the apex, shorter flowers, shorter sepals, and by the pale wine colored petals. When compared to V. hoehneana , it differs by the inflorescence with higher number of branches, oblong-ovate to broadly ovate floral bracts that nearly equal the sepal length, shorter sepals, and shorter petals which are pale wine colored.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Alvarenga, summit of Pico da Aliança , 1440 m elevation, 19º 23’ 42” S, 41º 40’ 08” W, 12 October 2012, E . Leme 8707, R . Vasconcelos & R . Oliveira (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plant terrestrial or saxicolous, flowering 160–230 cm high. Leaves 17–20 in number, densely rosulate, forming a broadly funnelform rosette; sheaths broadly elliptic-ovate, 15–21 × 12–14.5 cm, densely and minutely brown lepidote on both sides, coriaceous, dark castaneous toward the base; blades sublinear to lingulate, 35–50 × 8–10 cm, not narrowed at the base, apex acute and distinctly apiculate, yellowish-green, thinly coriaceous, sparsely and inconspicously white lepidote abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Peduncle stout, 90–120 cm long, 10–18 mm in diameter, erect, glabrous, green; peduncle bracts soon drying, the basal ones subfoliaceous, the upper ones ovate-lanceolate to ovate, acute, 5–11 × 3–4 cm, erect, partially enfolding the peduncle, distinctly exceeding to equaling the internodes, castaneous toward the base and paleaceous toward the apex, inconspicuously lepidote. Inflorescence narrowly paniculate, once-branched, 50–80 cm long, 20–23 cm in diameter, erect; primary bracts ovate, acute and apiculate to obtuse, 35–60 × 25–30 mm, concave and gibbous, soon drying, dark castaneous near the base and paleaceous toward the apex, divergent, slightly exceeding to slightly shorter than the stipes; branches 10–11 in number (including the terminal one), the lateral ones 17–23 cm long, forming an internal angle of 30°–45° with the main axis, densely flowered at anthesis and afterwards, bearing 10–15 flowers; stipes 3.5–5 × 0.5–0.6 cm, subcomplanate, green, glabrous, bearing 1–2 sterile bracts similar to the floral bracts; rachis flexuous, green, glabrous, obtusely angulose, internodes 1–1.5 × 0.4–0.5 cm; the terminal branch erect or nearly so, resembling the lateral branches, to 28 cm long, stipe to 12 cm long, bearing 2–3 sterile bracts; floral bracts oblong-ovate to broadly ovate, 32–38 × 20–25 mm, apex rounded, soon drying, dark castaneous near the base and paleaceous toward the margins and apex, abaxially bearing a dense layer of white epicuticular wax near the base, adaxially inconspicuously and sparsely brown lepidote, not completely covering the sepals and about equaling their length, divergent to unilaterally secund with the flowers, ecarinate to obtusely carinate at the base. Flowers nocturnal, with a garlic-like odor, distichous, downwardly secund at anthesis, densely arranged, ca. 45 mm long, pedicels stout, ca. 6 mm long, ca. 6 mm in diameter at the distal end, green, glabrous; sepals ovate, apex narrowly obtuse but appearing acute due to its enrolling margins, 28 × 13–14 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote inside, glabrous outside, free, ecarinate, green toward the base and castaneous-wine toward the apex and margins, thin in texture toward the apex and margins, thicker at the base; petals narrowly obovate, apex emarginate, ca. 38 × 16 mm, pale wine colored due to dense wine colored spots, connate at the base for ca. 3 mm, suberect-recurved and forming a campanulate corolla, bearing at the base 2 broadly lanceolate, acuminate, ca. 11 × 2.5 mm appendages. Stamens shorter than the petals, radially arranged at anthesis; filaments subcomplanate and dilated toward the apex, pale yellow, adnate to the petals for 3–5 mm; anthers linear, base bilobed, apex obtuse, ca. 10 mm long, dorsifixed near the base; pistil slightly shorter than the petals; stigma convolute-bladed, densely papillose, yellow, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter; ovules long caudate. Capsules unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Vriesea sanctaparecidae is a terrestrial or saxicolous species from Campos Rupestres strongly influenced by botanical elements of Campos de Altitude, in the region of Alvarenga and Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais state. It grows in open areas of the highest parts of the mountains known as Pico da Aliança and Pico do Padre Angelo, about 1400 to 1550 m elevation, where grasslike and shrubby vegetation dominate the scenery. The sparsely distributed individuals of this new species live in full sunlight on shallow sandy soils accumulated in the depressions and crevices of rocky outcrops.

Etymology:—This new species honors Our Lady of Aparecida (Nossa Senhora Aparecida), the patron Saint of Brazil venerated in the Catholic Church, represented by a dark-skinned, wooden statue of Virgin Mary. Vriesea sanctaparecidae was first collected at the summit of the Alliance Peak, in October 12th, the official national holiday that celebrates the day of Our Lady of Aparecida.

Additional specimen examined (paratype): –– BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Conselheiro Pena, Padre Angelo, summit of Pico do Padre Angelo , 1508 m elevation, 19º 19’ 00” S, 41º 34’ 42” W, 13 October 2012, E . Leme 8723, R . Vasconcelos & R . Oliveira ( RB!) .

Observations:— Vriesea sanctaparecidae is closely related to V. crassa Mez (1891 -1894: 566), V. fontanae Fraga & Leme (Leme et al. 2010: 58) , and V. hoehneana Smith (1933: 150) , all of them living in similar, high altitude, open habitats of Campos de Altitude. Differences of this new species in comparison with V. crassa are the longer inflorescence (50–80 cm vs. 20–50 cm long), lateral branches with higher number of flowers (10–15 vs. 5–8), longer and narrower floral bracts (32–38 × 20–25 mm vs. 15–25 × 30 mm), which equal the sepal length (vs. reaching 1/2 of the sepal length), and pale wine colored petals (vs. yellow).

Vriesea sanctaparecidae can be segregated from the recently described V. fontanae by the inflorescence with comparatively higher number of branches (10–11 vs. 5–9 in number), shorter lateral branches (17–23 cm vs. 23–34 cm long) with shorter stipes (3.5–5 cm vs. 8.5–11 cm) and reduced number of flowers (10–15 vs. 16–22 in number), soon drying floral bracts which are paleaceous toward the apex (vs. yellow toward the apex), shorter flowers (ca. 45 mm vs. 58–60 mm long), shorter sepals (ca. 28 mm vs. 35–36 mm), and by the pale wine colored petals (vs. pale yellow).

Finally, when compared to V. hoehneana , this new species differs by the inflorescence with higher number of branches (10–11 vs. 1–6 in number), oblong-ovate to broadly ovate floral bracts (vs. suborbicular) that nearly equal the sepal length (vs. distinctly shorter than the sepals), shorter sepals (ca. 28 mm vs. ca. 34 mm long), and shorter petals (ca. 38 mm vs. ca. 50 mm long) which are pale wine colored (vs. lemon-yellow).

Figures

FIGURE 21. A–G. Vriesea saltensis (Leme & Kollmann 8248). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Floral bract. C. Side view of floral bract. D. Flower. E. Sepal. F. Petal with appendages and one outer and inner stamen each. G. Anther. H–L. Vriesea sanctaparecidae (Leme et al. 8707). H. Leaf blade apex. I. Floral bract. J. Flower. K. Sepal. L. Petal with appendages and one outer and inner stamen each. Scale bars = 1 cm.

FIGURE 22. A–E. Vriesea sanctaparecidae. A. General view of Pico da Aliança, the type locality. B. Holotype specimen in habitat, highlighting the dry aspect of the inflorescence at anthesis (Leme et al. 8707). C. Population at Pico da Aliança. D. Population at Pico do Padre Angelo, the paratype locality (Leme et al. 8723). E. Details of the floral bracts and flower (Leme et al. 8707).