Orthophytum alagoanum Leme & A.P. Fontana, 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 : 180-182

4.1. Orthophytum alagoanum Leme & A.P. Fontana , sp. nov. ( Fig. 10 A–G )

Diagnosis:—This new species is morphologically close to O. cearense , but differs by its larger stature when in bloom (13–20 cm vs. 7–12 cm tall), inflorescence longer (4–10 cm vs. 2–6 cm), floral bracts in the flower fascicles longer (20–30 mm vs. 10–14 mm), flowers longer (26–29 mm vs. 22–24 mm), sepals longer and narrower (12–16 × 2.3–3 mm vs. 11.5–12.5 × 4 mm), subdensely and distinctly spinulose (vs. entire).

Type:— Brazil. Alagoas: Mata Grande, Serra da Onça, Caatinga, 777 m elevation, 09°06’31” S, 37°43’35” W, 15 January 2015, A.P. Fontana 8970, D.P. Souza & J.R. Silva, fl. cult. E. Leme 8983 (holotype RB!, isotype MBML!).

Description:— Plants saxicolous, shortly caulescent, 13–20 cm long when flowering, propagating by basal shoots. Leaves 10–15 in number, suberect-arcuate at anthesis, densely arranged; sheath subtrapeziform, 1.2–1.5 × 2.5–3.5 cm, whitish, densely and coarsely white lepidote toward distal end; blade narrowly lanceolate, apex caudate, 9–12 × 1.8–2.7 cm, subcoriaceous, 2.5–3.5 mm thick near the base, nearly flat, green to greenish-bronze, densely and coarsely white lepidote mainly abaxially, distinctly nerved abaxially, margins subdensely to laxly spinose; spines narrowly triangular, straight to retrorsely uncinate, 2–3 mm long, 3–8 mm apart. Inflorescence (fertile part) 4–10 cm long (excluding the petals), 5–6 cm in diameter, compact, once branched of distinct flower fascicles or sometimes with inconspicuous flower fascicles at the base in extreme arid condition; peduncle 6–10 × 0.7–0.8 cm, greenish to bronze colored, densely white floccose, trichomes with lacerate margins; peduncle bracts resembling the leaves, densely arranged but not concealing the peduncle, suberect to spreading; primary bracts resembling the upper peduncle bracts, subtriangular-lanceolate, acuminate-caudate, densely and coarsely white lepidote on both sides toward the base, glabrescent near the apex, exceeding the flower fascicles, subdensely to laxly spinose, spines 1–2 mm long, straight or retrorsely curved, the distal bracts reduced in length; flower fascicles 3–10 in number, densely arranged except for the basal one sometimes slightly apart from the others, shortly stipitate, rosulate-capitate, the lateral ones 25–30 mm long, excluding the petals 25–35 mm in diameter, 2–6-flowered, the terminal one larger, 30–40 mm long, 55–70 mm in diameter, 8–12-flowered; floral bracts triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, suberect to recurved, ecarinate, pale salmon-rose colored toward the base, greenish-bronze colored toward the apex, densely and coarsely white-lepidote mainly toward the base, coriaceous toward the apex, finely nerved, subdensely to laxly spinose, spines 1–2 mm, those of the lateral flower fascicles 20–30 × 8–11 mm, exceeding the sepals, those of the terminal flower fascicle 37–40 × 11–16 mm, exceeding the flowers. Flowers sessile, 26–29 mm long (with the petals extended), odorless; sepals narrowly lanceolate, attenuate, 12–16 × 2.5–3 mm, free, pale salmon-rose colored toward the apex, greenish near the base, densely and coarsely white lepidote, subdensely and distinctly spinulose, the abaxial one ecarinate, the adaxial ones carinate; petals narrowly spathulate, apex obtuse and inconspicuously apiculate, sometimes cucullate, 21–22 × 4 mm, green, forming a corolla with basal tubular portion distinctly longer than the length of the suberect distal portion, bearing 2 longitudinal callosities about equalling the filaments; petal appendages echinatiform, 4–5 mm above the base, long fimbriate with ornamentation upwardly oriented; filaments unequal in length, the antesepalous ones ca. 16 mm long, free, the antepetalous ones ca. 13 mm long, adnate to the petals for ca. 7 mm; anthers 2.5–3 mm long, dorsifixed at 1/3 of its length above the base, base obtuse, apex apiculate; ovary ca. 5.5 × 4 mm, greenish, densely and coarsely white floccose, trichomes fimbriate; epigynous tube ca. 0.5 mm long; stigma simple-dilated, lobes broadened, lip-shaped, spreading, ca. 0.4 mm long, green, papillate; placentation apical; ovules many, obtuse. Fruits not seen.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:— Orthophytum alagoanum is a species endemic to Alagoas state, growing in two localities in straight line 7 km apart, in the neighbourhood of the city of Mata Grande. It is a typical dweller of the Caatinga vegetation ( Fig. 10 A–B ), growing saxicolous on rock outcrops under intense sunlight in arid climatic condition, 600 to 790 m elevation ( Fig. 10 C–D ). The population of Orthophytum alagoanum is quite small. The collected areas being composed of sparsely distributed individuals forming small groups of plants. However, the size of the population and the extension of the occupied area is not clearly known mainly taken into consideration the existence of other similar habitats in this region. This this new species is classified here as “data deficient” (DD) and its conservation status still remains inconclusive.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species is a reference to the state of Alagoas, where it was originally collected.

Additional specimen examined (paratype):–– BRAZIL. Alagoas: Mata Grande, Boa Vista, Serra da Boa Vista, Cruzeiro, granitic rock oucrops in rupicolous, shrubby to tree-like Caatinga vegetation, 685 m elevation, 09°02’50” S, 37°42’40” W, 9 November 2016, A.P. Fontana 9864 & P.M.G. Caxias (MBML!).

Observations: — Orthophytum alagoanum is morphologically close to O. cearense Leme & F. Monteiro (Leme et al. 2010: 49, Fig. 14 H–I ), but differs by its larger stature when in bloom (13–20 cm vs. 7–12 cm), inflorescence longer (4–10 cm vs. 2–6 cm), flower fascicles rosulate-capitate (vs. subflabellate) with more flowers (2–6 vs. ca. 2 in number), floral bracts in the flower fascicles longer (20–30 mm vs. 10–14 mm), with longer marginal spines (1–2 mm vs. less than 0.5 mm), flowers longer (26–29 mm vs. 22–24 mm), and sepals longer and narrower (12–16 × 2.3–3 mm vs. 11.5–12.5 × 4) and subdensely and distinctly spinulose (vs. entire).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Orthophytum alagoanum from Mata Grande, Alagoas state (Fontana 8970 et al.): A–B. General view of the rock outcrops in Caatinga vegetation, in Serra da Boa Vista. C–D. Saxicolous habit of O. alagoanum. E–F. Details of the inflorescence in specimens flowered in cultivation. G. Details of the floral bracts and flower. A–D. Photos A.P. Fontana.

FIGURE 14. Orthophytum santosianum from Caraguataí, county of Jussiape, Bahia state (Leme 8977): A. Habit. B. Details of the inflorescence. C. Echinatiform type of petal appendages with spreading ornamentation. D. Orthophytum harleyi (Leme 6173). E. Orthophytum saxicola (Leme 6058). F. Orthophytum saxicola (Leme 7511). G. Orthophytum conquistense (Leme 6019 et al.). H–I. Orthophytum cearense (Leme 7700). J. Orthophytum triunfense (Leme 5548).