Forzzaea viridifolia Leme

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 : 175-177

2.4 Forzzaea viridifolia Leme & O.B.C. Ribeiro, sp. nov. ( Figs. 8 A–G )

Diagnosis:— This new species is morphologically closely related to F. leopoldo-horstii , but differs from it by the leaf blades adaxially glabrous (vs. densely white lepidote) and usually light green (vs. dark reddish, reddish-purple throughout or at least toward the apex), with both surfaces strongly contrasting with each other (vs. slightly if at all contrasting), sepals acuminate (vs. acute to subobtuse and mucronulate), and petals shorter (ca. 18 mm vs. 23–25 mm).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Couto de Magalhães de Minas, road to Cachoeira da Fábrica, 828 m elevation, 18°07’25” S, 43°27’00.5” W, 9 August 2017, E. Leme 9229, O. Ribeiro & R. Oliveira (holotype RB!).

Description:— Plants stemless, propagating by short shoots or short and stout stolons of ca. 5 × 1 cm. Leaves 10–15 in number, thick coriaceous mainly toward the base, suberect to spreading-curved, forming a subdense rosette; sheath subtrapeziform, 1.5–2 × 3–3.5 cm, whitish, glabrous adaxially, abaxially glabrescent toward the base, densely and coarsely white lepidote at distal end; blade sublinear-attenuate, ending in a caudate apex, 15–28 × 1.8–2.2 cm, slightly canaliculate to nearly flat, finelly nerved abaxially, light green or sometimes red toward the apex, the surfaces strongly contrasting with each other, adaxial side glabrous, abaxial side completely covered by a coarse layer of whitish trichomes; margins subdensely to laxly spinose; spines 1.5–3 mm long, 4–9 mm apart, triangular, slightly uncinate, prevailing antrorse. Inflorescence sessile, compound, ca. 2 cm long, ca. 3 cm in diameter (not including the primary bracts); primary bracts resembling the leaves, subspreading to suberect, curved; flower fascicles ca. 8 in number, densely arranged, complanate to pulvinate, excluding the petals 15 × 8–10 mm, 3–6-flowered; floral bracts narrowly subtriangular-ovate, acute, hyaline and membranaceous toward the base, greenish toward the apex, white lepidote at the apex with fimbriate trichomes, glabrous elsewhere, finely nerved, slightly exceeded by the sepals, carinate, 10–13 × 4–7 mm, margins entire or remotely and irregularly denticulate. Flowers all perfect, sessile, 21–24 mm long, fragrant; sepals narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 8 × 2–3 mm, connate at the base for ca. 2 mm, white, glabrous, obtusely carinate or carinate mainly toward the apex; petals spathulate, 18 × 5.5–6 mm, shortly connate at the base for ca. 1 mm, white, subacute to rounded, distinctly longer than the stamens but spreading at anthesis and exposing them, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities to ca. 10 mm above the base; filaments subequal in length, 12–14 mm long, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 1 mm, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 3 mm; anthers 2.5–3 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, base distinctly bilobed, apex apiculate, strongly recurved at anthesis; pollen oblate, ca. 40 μm in diameter (longest axis), sulcate, sulcus bearing sparse exine elements, margins strongly irregular and indistinct, exine microreticulate; ovary 3–4 × 3 mm, trigonous, white, glabrous; epigynous tube lacking; ovules few, obtuse; placentation apical; style slightly exceeding the anthers; stigma simple-erect, white, lobes longer than broad, free, narrowly spathulate, transversely U-shaped, apical margins inconspicuously scalloped, without papillae. Fruits narrowly ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoidal, 10 × 6–7 mm, white except for the green apex, persistent sepals about equalling the fruit length; seeds 4–7 in number, 3–4 × 2.5 mm long, yellowish.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:—The known occurrence of F.viridifolia is concentrated at the northeastern border of the Diamantina Plateau , at the limits of the meridional portion of the Espinhaço Range, which is separated northwards from the Septentrional Plateau by the depression of Couto de Magalhães. The known subpopulations are concentrated at the type locality, in the county of Couto de Magalhães de Minas, at altitudes between 800 and 1000 m, not far from the border with São Gonçalo do Rio Preto. In comparison, the known population of F. leopoldo-horstii has a southward distribution, in the vicinities of the counties of Diamantina and Gouveia, at altitudes from 1000 m to 1400 m.

Forzzaea viridifolia usually forms large and dense saxicolous groups of plants, growing in crevices on vertical quartizitic rock formation typical of the Campos Rupestres, as well as on accumulated organic substrate on inclined to nearly horizontal rock outcrops, both in sunny and in more shaded places, where groups of plants are even larger (Fig. A–D). Neverthless, the known subpopulations are rather small and occupy a geographically limited area. Taken into consideration the current knowledge about the populations, it must be considered critically endangered (CR) on the basis of the “A.1. c + d” and “B. 2. a. + b. i to iv” criteria adopted by IUCN (2012).

Etymology:—The name of this new species is a direct reference to the light green color of the adaxial surface of its leaf blades, which immediately demonstrates its distinctness in comparison to other known species. It is based on the Latin words viridis, meaning ‘green’, and folium, folia, meaning ‘leaves’.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):–– BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Couto de Magalhães de Minas, road to Garimpo Acaba-Saco , 1008 m elevation, 18°08’06.2” S, 43°28’21.3” W, 18 November 2015, E. Leme 9080 & O. Ribeiro (RB) ; ibidem, right side of Manso River, proximity of Cachoeira da Fábrica, trail toward Garimpo , 902 m elevation, 18°07’29.5” S, 43°26’10.6” W, 9 August 2017, E. Leme 9230, O. Ribeiro & R. Oliveira (RB!) .

Observations:— Forzzaea viridifolia is morphologically closely related to F. leopoldo-horstii , but can be easily distinguished from it at first glance by the adaxially glabrous leaf blades (vs. densely white lepidote), which are light green ( Fig. 8 B–C ) or sometimes red toward the apex ( Fig. 8 D ) with the color not obscured by the tricomes (vs. dark reddish, reddish-purple throughout or at least toward the apex with the color partially obscured by the trichomes) with surfaces strongly contrasting with each other (vs. slightly if at all contrasting). This feature is consistent and was observed and documented all over its area of occurrence without remarkable variation, except for a small group of plants with leaves red toward the apex but the color not obscured by the trichomes ( Fig. 8 D ). Other important differences in relation to F. leopoldo-horsti are the acuminate sepals (vs. acute to subobtuse and mucronulate), and the shorter petals (ca. 18 mm vs. 23–25 mm), besides pollen with sulcus margins strongly irregular (vs. not at all irregular) and indistinct (vs. weakly distinct).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Forzzaea viridifolia from Couto de Magalhães de Minas, Minas Gerais state (Leme 9229 et al.): A. General view of the Campos Rupestres vegetation at the type locality. B–D. Saxicolous habit at the type locality. E. Simple-erect stigma type. F–G. Details of the inflorescence and flowers.