Forzzaea Leme, S. Heller & Zizka (2017: 65)

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 : 168

2. Forzzaea Leme, S. Heller & Zizka (2017: 65)

The genus Forzzaea was recently described ( Leme et al. 2017) to circumscribe three discordant species removed from Cryptanthus . It is characterized by homogamous plants with succulent or thick coriaceous, pronouncedly spiny leaves. The inflorescence is compound or rarely simple, sessile and corymbose, with sessile, fragrant flowers. Sepals are usually connate at the base to ca. 1/2 of their length or sometimes free, while the unappendaged petals have elliptic-ovate or rarely lanceolate blades, usually shortly connate at the base to ca. 1/7 of their length or sometimes free, 2.5–5 times longer than wide, suberect to spreading-recurved at anthesis, white or rarely pale greenish-yellowish. The anthers are usually strongly recurved to spirally recurved at anthesis, while the stigma presents the simple-erect or simple-patent types with tendency to simple-dilated. The persistent sepals attached to the fruits vary from equalling fruits length to 1.5 times longer, and seeds are large, 2–8 in number per fruit.

Forzzaea is endemic to the western-northeastern part of the Meridional Plateau of the Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais state, well known as the Diamantina Plateau (not to be confused with Chapada Diamantina on the Septentrional Plateau of the Espinhaço Range, in Bahia state). It currently comprises a total of seven species (including the new species described below), usually living in epilithic and saxicolous (sometimes terrestrial) condition, frequently in the organic material accumulated in rock crevices, on quartizitic rocky outcrops in the domain of Campos Rupestres, above 700 m elevation.