Tillandsia schultesiana (L.B.Sm.) Kessous

Kessous, Igor M. & Costa, Andrea F., 2023, Novelties in “ incertae sedis ” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision, Phytotaxa 585 (2), pp. 71-101 : 85

2.3 Tillandsia schultesiana (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa, comb. nov. ( Fig. 7 )

Basionym: — Vriesea schultesiana Smith (1954: 197) . Type : — COLOMBIA. Amazonas-Vaupés : Raudal Jirijirimo , Rio Apaporis, March 1951, Schultes 12088 (holotype US!, isotype GH! COL!).

Description:—Plant epilithic, flowering 15−25(−40) cm high. Leaves 15−20 in number, forming an utriculate rosette; sheath ovate, 1−2.3 × 1−1.7 cm, densely scaly lepidote, dark brown on both surfaces; blade narrowly linear, 10–35 × 0.25–0.5 cm, apex caudate to long attenuate, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces. Inflorescence simple, densely and distichously 6–18 flowered, 11–35 cm, erect, bearing 1–2 sterile bracts at the apex and 1 sterile bract in the basis; peduncle erect, 9–30 cm long and 1–3 mm in diameter, sparsely lepidote; peduncle bracts erect to suberect, slightly if at all imbricate, oblong-elliptic, apex of the lower ones attenuate-caudate, 15–25(–50) × 4–7 mm, pale yellow, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces; rachis geniculate (2–)5–10(–12) cm long, 1.7–2 mm in diameter. Floral bracts broadlyelliptic, obtuse, incurved at the apex, 13–23 × 6–12 mm, slightly carinate at the apex, pale yellow exceeding the sepals, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface, glabrous or sometimes sparsely lepidote on the abaxial surface. Flowers ca. 23 mm long, 4–6 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals linear-oblong, obtuse, 7.5–8 × 1.8–2.2 mm, ecarinate, symmetric, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface; petals narrowly elliptic, ca. 14 × 3.2 mm, pale yellowish; petal appendages ca. 4 × 1.4 mm, adnate to the petal base for 2–3 mm, entire with a rounded free lobe; stamens included; filament ca. 7.5 mm long, adnate to the base of the petal for 5.2 mm; anther ca. 3 × 0.7 mm, suberect; ovary conical, ca. 1 × 0.8 mm; style ca. 6 mm long; stigma conduplicate-spiral. Fruits cylindrical, suberect, 18–20 mm; seeds including coma ca. 4.6 mm, without or with a short apical coma (0.1 mm), basal coma ca. 1.9 mm.

Distribution: —This species occurs on quartzite cliffs in Colombia, 100–300 m above sea level.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —This species is easily recognized in herbaria, especially because of its small size, grass-like leaves, blades with a caudate to long attenuate apex, and inflorescence shape. We observed petal colors ranging from white to yellow on herbaria labels. This set of characteristics, in addition to the conduplicatespiral stigma ( Fig. 7B ) and the geographical distribution (restricted to Colombia) lead us to propose the combination Tillandsia subg. Pseudovriesea . The apical coma of the seed is absent or short in T. schultesiana .

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ schultesiana ” refers to the collector of the type material, Richard Evans Schultes (1915–2001).

Representative Specimens Examined: — COLOMBIA. Amazonas-Vaupés : Raudal Jirijirimo, Rio Apaporis, 0°5’N, 70°40’ W, 25 November 1951, Garcia-Barriga 13710 (US); Schultes & Cabrera 14553 ( GH) ; Vaupés , corregimiento de Pacoa, comunidad Buenos Aires, raudal Hirihirimo, vegetacion rupicola, bosque bien conservado. 0°2’51.3” N – 70°56’15.2” W. 168 msnm., 23 February 2018, Castan ̃o 10531 ( COAH, F) ; Amazonas : Rio Popeyacá (tributary of Apaporis between Río Piraparaná and Raudal Yayacopi): near mouth. Alt. about 700 feet, 0°20’ S, 70°30’ W, 15 April 1952, Schultes & Cabrera 16185 (US, GH) ; Caquetá : 8 December 1990, Franco 3279 ( COL) ; Meta : 3 October 1964, Idrobo & Cardoso 5568 ( COL) ; Vaupés : 21 January 1952, Schultes & Evans 14967 ( COL) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Tillandsia schultesiana (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa. A. Holotype, Schultes 12088 (US; Courtesy of the United States National Herbarium). B. Detail of the stigma (Photo: I.M. Kessous). C. Illustration of the sepal, petal and inflorescence (Smith & Downs 1977: 1120). D. Seed (Photo: I.M. Kessous).