Dyckia glabrifolia Leme & O.B.C. Ribeiro, 2012

Leme, Elton M. C., Ribeiro, Otávio B. C. & Miranda, Zenilton De J. G., 2012, New species of Dyckia (Bromeliaceae) from Brazil, Phytotaxa 67 (1), pp. 9-37 : 18-19

Dyckia glabrifolia Leme & O.B.C. Ribeiro , sp. nov. ( Figs. 5 , J–O, 6 , A–E)

This new species differs from Dyckia trichostachya by the leaf blades being glabrous on the both sides, acuminatecaudate floral bracts, subacute and apiculate sepals, and by the highly connate filaments; from D. weddelliana it is distinguished mainly by the leaf blades with antrosely curved spines, the subdensely to densely pale lanate inflorescence, and by the subacute and apiculate sepals.

Type: — BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Três Corações, road from Três Corações to São Thomé das Letras, right margin of Rio do Peixe, near Escola Municipal Rio do Peixe , 922 m elevation, 21º 38.49’ S, 45º 06.64’ W, 21 December 2007, E . Leme et al. 7273 (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants saxicolous, flowering 90–150 cm high, occuring singly or in groups of a few individuals, propagating by few short basal shoots. Leaves 17 to 25 in number, rosulate, strongly coriaceous, distinctly succulent mainly toward the base; sheaths subreniform, ca. 3.5 × 7.5 cm, whitish toward the base, green to reddish at the apex, glabrous, lustrous; blades narrowly triangular and attenuate toward the apex, flat, suberect-arcuate, 21–38 cm long, 2–4 cm wide at the base, 5–6 mm thick near the base, green to reddish, lustrous and nerved abaxially, opaque adaxially, glabrous on both sides except for the dense layer of white trichomes at the base on the abaxial surface, apex acuminate-caudate, terminating in a pungent spine, margins glabrous, laxly spinose, spines 1–2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide at the base, 7–17 mm apart, narrowly triangular, complanate, glabrous, castaneous toward the apex, straight to slightly antrorse. Peduncle erect, 36–81 cm long, 6–13 mm in diameter, sparsely white sublanate but soon glabrous, greenish; peduncle bracts the basal ones subfoliaceous, the remaining ones green or reddish, stramineous at anthesis, nerved, subdensely white sublanate near the base and glabrous toward the apex, erect, narrowly ovate-triangular, acuminate, 15–30 × 6–10 mm, densely and minutely denticulate, from equaling to distinctly shorter than the internodes, those near the apex carinate. Inflorescence erect, 33–77 cm long, usually simple or sometimes bearing short branches at the base, rachis 6–10 mm in diameter, straight, terete, slightly sulcate toward the apex, greenish to pale orange, subdensely to densely pale lanate but the trichomes not obscuring the color of the rachis; floral bracts distinctly nerved, stramineous toward the apex at anthesis, spreading to suberect with the flowers, the basal ones narrowly subovate-triangular, acuminate-caudate, slightly exceeding the flowers (the basal ones) to about equaling the sepals (the upper ones), ecarinate or the upper ones bearing a protruded central nerve and appearing to be carinate, pale lanate, 10–25 × 4–8 mm, margins densely and minutely to remotely denticulate with spines obscured by the trichomes, to subentire. Flowers laxly to subdensely arranged, ca. 50 to 110 in number (not including the lateral branches), 16–19 mm long, spreading at anthesis and erect afterwards, odorless, the upper evenly arranged to subverticillate; pedicels inconspicuous, orange, densely white sublanate, 2–4 mm long, 4–5 mm in diameter at the apex; sepals ovate to broadly ovate, apex subacute and apiculate, ecarinate, convex, 6–8 × 6 mm, orange, subdensely white lanate, margins bearing spreading to retrorse filamentous trichomes; petals symmetric, broadly obovate-spathulate, apex obtuse to subacute and inconspicuously apiculate, connate at the base for ca. 1 mm to form a common tube with the filaments, 12–13 × 10–11 mm, ecarinate, orange, margins entire or sometime irregularly crenulate near the apex, glabrous, suberect at anthesis and forming a campanulate corolla 8–9 mm in diameter; stamens shorter than the petals; filaments complanate, connate for 3–4 mm above the common tube with the petals, 9–10 × 1.5 mm, yellowish toward the apex; anthers narrowly subtriangular, ca. 4 mm long and straight before anthesis, after anthesis distinctly smaller and strongly recurved, base bilobed, apex acute, fixed near the base; pistil 8–9 mm long, slightly shorter than the anthers; stigma conduplicate-spiral, blades ca. 1.5 mm long, yellow, margins minutely crenulate-lacerate; style ca. 1 mm long; ovary narrowly suboblong, ca. 6.5 mm long, pale yellow. Capsules broadly ovate, ca. 15 mm long, ca. 11 mm in diameter, dark castaneous and lustrous, apex beaked; seeds flat, asymmetrical, subcuneate, base obtuse, 3–4 mm long, 2–2.5 mm wide.

Distribution and habitat:— Dyckia glabrifolia is saxicolous on quartzite outcrops of the Campos Rupestres, at an elevation ca. 900 m. The individuals are sparsely grouped, and associated with Vellozia sp. (Velloziaceae) . Both green and reddish-leafed specimens grow side by side in the same population.

Etymology:—The name of Dyckia glabrifolia refers to the glabrous leaf blades.

Observations:— Dyckia glabrifolia is closely related to D. trichostachya Baker (1889: 133) , differing by the leaf blades glabrous on the both sides (vs. densely lepidote mainly beneath), acuminate-caudate floral bracts (vs. acute), subacute and apiculate sepals (vs. obtuse), and by the filaments connate for 3–4 mm above the common tube with the petals (vs. free).

Dyckia glabrifolia is also similar to D. weddelliana Baker (1889: 132) , differing by leaf blades with antrosely curved spines along the margins (vs. retrorsely curved), densely and minutely denticulate peduncle bracts (vs. entire), the subdensely to densely pale lanate inflorescence (vs. ferruginous-furfuraceous), flowers with inconspicuous pedicels (vs. pedicel distinct), and by the subacute and apiculate sepals (vs. obtuse).

Figures

FIGURE 5. A–I. Dyckia formosensis (Leme 6451 & Miranda). A. Basal segment of leaf blade. B. Median segment of leaf blade. C. Leaf blade apex. D. Floral bract. E. Margins of floral bract. F. Flower. G. Sepal. H. Petal and stamens. I. Pistil. J–O. Dyckia glabrifolia (Leme et al. 7273). J. Basal segment of leaf. K. Floral bract. L. Flower. M. Sepal. N. Petal and stamens. O. Pistil. Scale bars = 1 cm.

FIGURE 6. A–E. Dyckia glabrifolia (Leme et al. 7273). A. Population at the type locality. B. Habit. C. Central portion of the inflorescence. D. Detail of the Flowers. E. General view of the type locality.