Orthophytum formosense 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 : 184-186

4.3. Orthophytum formosense Leme , sp. nov. ( Fig. 12 A–E )

Diagnosis:— This new species is morphologically close to O. erigens , but it differs by its smaller size when flowering (13–23 cm vs. 43–55 cm), leaf blades smaller (5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 cm vs. 11–18 × 2.2–3.3 cm), inflorescence simple or pseudosimple (vs. distinctly compound, with 4–6 flower fascicles), and sepals acute (vs. acuminate-caudate).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Monte Formoso, 719 m elevation, 16°50’08” S, 41°15’30” W, May 2014, R. Vasconcelos s.n., fl. cult. June 2016, E. Leme 8884 (holotype RB!).

Description:— Plants flowering 13–23 cm tall, pseudocaulescent, leaf rosettes soon indistinct due to an early strong elongation of the stem/peduncle, propagating by slender rhizomes ca. 5 × 0.4 cm long. Leaves indistinguishable from the peduncle bracts, remaining ca. 2 in number at anthesis, the other ones resembling the peduncle bracts, more or less equally, densely to sparsely arranged along the distal 2/3 of the stem/peduncle length, thin coriaceous, spreading-recurved; sheath inconspicuous; blade ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 cm, nearly flat, finely nerved abaxially, green, yellowish-green, reddish to bronze colored, the surfaces not contrasting with each other, densely white lepidote near the base, glabrescent toward the apex on both sides, margins subdensely to densely spinose; spines 1–2 mm long, 3–6 mm apart, narrowly subtriangular, the basal ones slightly retrorse, the other ones straight to antrorse. Inflorescence (fertile part) simple or pseudosimple, forming a small capitate-rosulate spike, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 cm; peduncle not distinguishable from the stem, 5–6 mm in diameter, erect, bronze colored or green, densely white lanate to glabrescent; peduncle bracts the basal ones resembling the leaves, exposing the stem/peduncle, the upper ones distinctly reduced in size; floral bracts the basal ones somewhat resembling the leaves, distinctly exceeding the sepals, the upper ones broadly subtriangular, acuminate, thin coriaceous toward the apex, green, inconspicuously white lepidote to glabrescent, finely nerved, about equalling the sepals, ecarinate to obtusely carinate near the apex, ca. 7 × 6 mm, margins densely spinulose, spines ca. 1 mm long, antrorse or retrose. Flowers sessile, 5–8 in number, 14–15 mm long, odorless; sepals narrowly lanceolate, acute, 6–6.5 × 2.5–3 mm, free, green except for the hyaline margins, glabrous, the adaxial ones obtusely carinate with the keel decurrent on the ovary, the abaxial one ecarinate; petals sublinear-spathulate, acute, free, the proximal 1/2 greenish, the distal 1/2 white, 12.5 × 2.5–3 mm, erect except for the suberect apex, forming a subtubular corolla, bearing 2 appendages; petal appendages echinatiform, ca. 4 mm above the base, lacerate, downwardly oriented; stamens distinctly shorter than the petals; filaments distinctly unequal, the antepetalous ones ca. 6 mm long, adnate to the petals for ca. 4 mm, the antesepalous ones ca. 8 mm long, free; anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long at anthesis, dorsifixed at 1/3 of its length above the base, base and apex obtuse, laterally complanate; ovary ca. 2.5 × 2.5 mm, trigonous, subquadrate, whitish-green, glabrous; epigynous tube inconspicuous; ovules numerous, obtuse; placentation apical; style equalling the antesepalous stamens; stigma simple-dilated, white, lacerate, densely papillate, 0.5–0.6 in diameter. Fruits unknown.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:— Orthophytum formosense is known from the type locality only, where it has a saxicolous habit in sites under intense insolation, in Campos Rupestres vegetation. It forms dense groups of individuals which are more compact with prevailing yellowish-green, reddish to bronze coloration ( Fig. 12 A–B ) in contrast to the green-leafed specimens that flowered in cultivation in Refúgio dos Gravatás (Fig. C, E). The collection area is under the influence of the Jequitinhonha River, being situated in mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and microregion of Almenara according to IBGE (2017).

The size of the population and the extension of the occupied area is 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 refers to the county of Monte Formoso where it was found, in Minas Gerais state.

Observations:— Orthophytum formosense belongs to the complex of species with pseudocaulescent habit, which means that the leaf rosettes become soon indistinct or are inconspicuous due to an early strong elongation of the stem/ peduncle which are difficult to be distinguished from each other. The closest morphological relative is O. erigens Leme (in Leme & Fontana, 2010: 62), but the new species differs from it by its smaller size when flowering (13–23 cm vs. 43–55 cm), smaller leaf blades (5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 cm vs. 11–18 × 2.2–3.3 cm), simple or pseudosimple inflorescence (vs. distinctly compound, with 4–6 flower fascicles), smaller floral bracts (ca. 7 × 6 cm vs. 10–13 × 8–10 cm), and acute sepals (vs. acuminate-caudate).

On the other hand, O. formosense can be also confused with to O. falconii Leme (2003: 21) , another morphological close species, but can be distinguished by the smaller size when in bloom (13–23 cm vs. 42–45 cm), smaller leaf blades (5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 cm vs. 8–13 × 2.5–3.5 cm), simple or pseudosimple inflorescence (vs. distinctly compound, with ca. 4 flower fascicles), green floral bracts (vs. red), smaller flowers (14–15 vs. ca. 17 mm), green sepals (vs. red) with acute apex (vs. acuminate-caudate), and acute petals (vs. obtuse and slenderly and minutely apiculate).

Figures

FIGURE 12. Orthophytum formosense from Monte Formoso, Minas Gerais state: A–B. Group of saxicolous individuals on rock outcrops at the type locality. C–E. Specimens flowered in cultivation (Leme 8884). C. Inflorescence. D. Details of the inflorescence and flowers. E. Habit, highlighting the pseudocaulescence with leaf rosettes soon disappearing due to an early strong elongation of the stem/peduncle. A–B. Photos R. Vasconcelos.