Orthophytum viridissimum Leme, 2020

Leme, Elton M. C., Ribeiro, Otávio B. C., Souza, Fernanda Vidigal D., Souza, Everton Hilo De, Kollmann, Ludovic J. C. & Fontana, André P., 2020, Miscellaneous new species in the “ Cryptanthoid complex ” (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from Eastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 430 (3), pp. 157-202 : 198-200

6.3. Orthophytum viridissimum Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 18 A–E )

Diagnosis:— This new species differs from O. graomogolense , morphologically its closest relative, by smaller leaf blades (30–36 × 2.5–2.7 cm vs. 38–90 × 3–4 cm) and lustrous (vs. non-lustrous), the abaxial side inconspicuously if at all lepidote with trichomes intercostal (vs. densely adpressed and coarsely lepidote), primary bracts green throughout (vs. dark red toward the apex), sepals shorter (17–18 mm vs. 23–25 mm), and petals distinctly longer than the sepals (vs. slightly exceeding the sepals).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Grão Mogol, Parque Estadual de Grão Mogol, MG 307, ca. 10 km from the city, on the left side toward the city, near the bridge, 946 m elevation, 16°35’35” S 42°57’56” W, 21 June 2008, E. Leme 7436, C.C. Paula, T. Coser, R. Moura & O. Ribeiro (holotype RB!).

Description:— Plants stemless, flowering ca. 30 cm tall, propagating by slender rhizomes. Leaves ca. 14 in number at anthesis, coriaceous, subspreading, arcuate, forming a lax rosette; sheath trapeziform, ca. 2.5 × 3.5 cm, green, glabrous adaxially, inconspicuously white lepidote abaxially; blade narrowly subtriangular, attenuate, ending with a caudate apex, 30–36 × 2.5–2.7 cm, distinctly canaliculate, nerved abaxially, green, both surfaces hardly contrasting with each other, adaxial side glabrous and lustrous, abaxial side inconspicuously white lepidote of trichomes along the intercostal area, to glabrescent, margins erect, densely spinose; spines 2–3 mm long, 2–6 mm apart, narrowly subtriangular-uncinate, prevailingly antrorse to straight. Inflorescence (fertile part) compound, compact-glomerulate, ca. 5 cm long, excluding primary bracts ca. 3.5 cm in diameter; peduncle 20 × 0.6–1 cm, erect, green, white lepidote of fimbriate trichomes, to soon glabrous; peduncle bracts ca. 5 in number, resembling the leaves, spreading to recurved, distinctly exposing the peduncle; primary bracts the basal ones resembling the upper peduncle bracts, green, distinctly longer than the flower fascicles, the distal ones reduced in size, subspreading to suberect to curved; flower fascicles ca. 6 in number, densely arranged except for the slightly remote basal one, subflabellate-pulvinate, excluding the petals ca. 27 × 20 mm, ca. 2-flowered; floral bracts broadly triangular, acuminate, subcoriaceous, green, densely white lepidote near the apex with fimbriate trichomes, glabrous elsewhere, finely nerved, slightly exceeded by the sepals, alate-carinate, ca. 21 × 16 mm, margins densely spinose toward the apex. Flowers sessile, ca. 40 mm long, odorless; sepals narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 17–18 × 5–6 mm, free, green, densely white lepidote at the apex by fimbriate trichomes, glabrous elsewhere, the adaxial ones carinate with the keel decurrent on the ovary, the abaxial one obtusely carinate; petals sublinear-spathulate, obtuse-cucullate, free, green except for the white apex and distal margins, 31–33 × 5 mm, erect and forming a tubular clavate corolla, bearing 2 appendages; petal appendages scutelliform, irregularly and broadly bladed, margins irregularly long lacerate-digitate; stamens not exposed; filaments distinctly unequal, the antesepalous ones free, ca. 25 mm long, the antepetalous ones shorter than the antesepalous ones, ca. 21 mm long, adnate to the petals for 15–17 mm; anthers narrowly oblong, ca. 4 mm long at anthesis, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base and apex obtuse, laterally complanate; pollen ellipsoid, sulcate, exine reticulate, broad, meshes decreasing in size significantly near the margins and towards the apices; ovary ca. 7 × 7 mm, trigonous, subquadrate, green, glabrous; epigynous tube ca. 1 mm long; ovules numerous, subglobose, obtuse; placentation apical; style equalling the antesepalous stamens; stigma simple-dilated, white, margins wavy, crenulate, densely papillate. Fruits unknown.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:— Orthophytum viridissimum is known from the type locality only, in the region of Grão Mogol, north of Minas Gerais, in the Septentrional Plateau of Espinhaço range, which is also the type habitat of O. graomogolense Leme & C.C. Paula (2008: 107) and O piranianum . It was found growing terrestrially in shallow soils under the shade protection of shrubs among quartzitic rock outcrops which characterize the Campos Rupestres of the area ( Fig. 18 A–B ). Orthophytum viridissimum was observed forming small groups of individuals with a slightly higher altitude pattern (ca. 946 m) when compared with O. graomololense (650–745 m), but similar to O. piranianum (ca. 919 m).

The size of the population and the extension of the occupied area are not clearly known, and so it is considered here a “data deficient” species (DD) and its conservation status still remains inconclusive.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species is based on the Latin word viridissimus, meaning ‘greenest’, ‘very green’, as a clear reference to the distinct, very green general appearance of O. viridissimum .

Observations:— Orthophytum viridissimum is characterized by plants of small stature when in bloom compared with O. graomogolense , morphologically the closest relative, and has completely green, glabrescent to inconspicuously lepidote and lustrous leaves and flower parts (except for the white petal apex). However, the color and trichome coverage pattern should not be overestimated here in taxon delimitation due to the natural variabiliby reported for O. graomogolense by Leme & Paula (2008). So, besides the smaller (30–36 × 2.5–2.7 cm vs. 38–90 × 3–4 cm) and lustrous leaf blades (vs. non-lustrous), with abaxial side (if at all) inconspicuously lepidote of trichomes intercostal [vs. densely (if at all) adpressed and coarsely lepidote], margins with smaller spines (2–3 mm vs. 3–4 mm) that are denser arranged (2–6 mm vs. 5–12 mm apart), primary bracts green throughout (vs. dark red toward the apex), it also differs from O. graomogolense by the shorter sepals (17–18 mm vs. 23–25 mm) with acuminate apex (vs. acuminate and shortly acicular-mucronulate), petals distinctly longer than the sepals (vs. slightly exceeding the sepals), and anthers obtuse at the apex (vs. obtuse and inconspicuously and finely apiculate).

This new species is also morphologically close to O. piranianum , differing by its longer leaf blades (30–36 cm vs. 15–16 cm) which are inconspicuously lepidote to glabrous (vs. completely covered by coarse cinereous trichomes), peduncle bracts and primary bracts inconspicuously lepidote to glabrous (vs. completely covered by coarse cinereous trichomes), basal flower fascicles with fewer flowers (ca. 2 vs. 4–5), flowers longer (ca. 40 cm vs. 31–33 cm), sepals lepidote at apex only (vs. lepidote throughout), petals longer (31–33 cm vs. 24–25 cm), and petal appendages long lacerate-digitate (vs. margin ornamentation shorter, lacerate-crenulate).

Figures

FIGURE 18. Orthophytum viridissimum from Parque Estadual de Grão Mogol, county of Grão Mogol, Minas Gerais state (Leme 7436 et al.): A. General view of Campos Rupestres vegetation at the type locality. B. Group of individuals at the type locality. C. Habit. D. Inflorescence. E. Details of the flowers with tubular clavate corolla.