Aechmea timida Leme, 2014

Leme, Elton M. C., Till, Walter, Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., De Moura, Ricardo L. & Ribeiro, Otávio B. C., 2014, Miscellaneous New Species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 177 (2), pp. 61-100 : 67-69

Aechmea timida Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3 J–S , 4 )

This new species is closely related to Aechmea perforata , differing by the densely spinose margins of the basal portion of the leaf blades (vs. subdensely spinose), with longer spines (to 10 mm vs. to 5 mm), narrower inflorescence (ca. 3.5 cm vs. ca. 6 cm in diameter), without a dense white wool between the flowers, with the floral bracts and flowers well visible (vs. with a dense white wool covering the floral bracts and sepals and completely hiding them), with shorter floral bracts (15–16 mm vs. ca. 20 mm), and the acute ovules (vs. caudate).

Type: –– BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Alvarenga, near the border with Tarumirim, Córrego Alta Floresta , Serra do “ Sibitiduca , old property of Alcebíades , 815 m elevation, 19° 25’ 23” S, 41° 46’ 18” W, 21 June 2012, E . Leme 8664, R . Vasconcelos & R . Faria. (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants terrestrial, flowering 35–40 cm high. Leaves ca. 22 in number, rosulate, suberect, coriaceous, forming a broadly funnelform rosette; sheaths broadly elliptic-ovate, 17–22 × 10.5–16 cm, slightly purplish near the apex, greenish to pale castaneous toward the base, densely and minutely white lepidote on both sides but mainly toward the apex, at the apex irregularly spinose with membranaceous spines; blades sublinear, not narrowed toward the base, 65–75 × 7–9 cm, yellowish-green to green, sometimes dark red near the apex, densely white lepidote mainly abaxially, trichomes forming a detaching membrane when dry, apex cuspidate, margins densely to subdensely spinose; spines dark castaneous to nearly black, narrowly triangular, flat, strongly retrorse-uncinate, the basal ones 5–10 mm long, 2–5 mm wide at the base, 1–5 mm apart, the upper ones 2–3 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide at the base, 5–10 mm apart. Peduncle erect, ca. 12 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm in diameter, whitish, densely white lepidote; peduncle bracts the basal ones subfoliaceous, the upper ones lanceolate, acuminate, 8–10 × 2.5–3 cm, erect or nearly so, finely nerved, thin in texture, spinulose near the apex with thin-textured spines, to entire, densely white lepidote on both sides, straw-colored, distinctly exceeding the internodes, equaling 1/2 to 1/3 of the length of the inflorescence. Inflorescence densely strobilate, simple, with ca. 100 flowers, ovoid to subcylindrical, slightly elevated from the center of the rosette, erect, 7–10 cm long, ca. 3.5 cm in diameter at the base (excluding the petals), bearing a distinct coma of sterile bracts at the apex; main axis not visible; floral bracts broadly ovate to suborbiculate, subrounded and mucronate, 15–16 × 10–13 mm, to equaling the middle of the sepals, suberect, their bases densely imbricate, thick toward the base, partially enfolding the flowers, nerved near the apex, densely white sublanate, greenish except for the reddish apex with color partially obscured by the trichomes, navicular, bicarinate with lateral keels as well as bearing keels diverging from the apex to the middle and converging toward the base. Flowers 2.9–3 cm long, odorless, densely polystichously arranged, sessile; sepals suboblong, distinctly asymmetrical with the lateral membranaceous, rounded wing distinctly exceeding the midnerve, yellowish-green, densely white lepidote, ecarinate, 10–11 × 7 mm, bearing an apical mucro ca. 0.8 mm long, connate at the base for ca. 1.5 mm; petals subspathulate, broadly acute to subobtuse, 20–21.5 × 4.5–5 mm, subfree, white except for the pale lilac-blue apex, strongly recurved at anthesis, bearing 2 conspicuous lateral linear callosities ca. 8 mm long, without appendages; filaments ca. 8 mm long, slightly complanate toward the base, white, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 1 mm, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 6 mm; anthers ca. 2.5 mm long, narrowly ellipsoid before anthesis and sublinear afterwards, fixed near the apex and appearing retrorse, base obtuse, apex tenuously apiculate; style distinctly shorter than the stamens, ca. 4 mm long; stigma conduplicate-spiral, globose, 2.5– 3 × 2.5 mm, white, blades asymmetrical, strongly spiral-contorted, margins deeply but tenuously digitate-scalloped and papillose; ovary broadly obovoid, transversely subquadrate, 6–7 mm long, 5–6 mm in diameter at distal end, densely white lepidote toward distal end, glabrous near the base, whitish; epigynous tube crateriform, ca. 2 mm long; placentation apical; ovules acute. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:–– Aechmea timida was found forming a small terrestrial population scattered in a severely disturbed fragment of wet Atlantic Forest in the county of Alvarenga, near the border with Tarumirim, Minas Gerais state. The Atlantic Forest of valleys in this region have been destroyed in recent decades mainly by cattle ranching activities and only the drier forests of the steep slopes and the Campos de Altitude-Campos Rupestres vegetation of the summit of the mountains partially remains.

According to the criteria “B1a” and “B2a” adopted by IUCN (2010), A. timida must be considered a critically endangered species.

Etymology:––The name of this new species is based on the Latin word timidus, as a reference to its inconspicuously colored, non-showy inflorescence.

Observations:––This new species is a typical member of the subgenus Chevaliera (Gaudichaud ex Beer) Baker , being closely related to A. perforata Smith (1941: 55) . However, it differs from the closest relative by the densely spinose margins of the basal portion of the leaf blades (vs. subdensely spinose) with longer spines (to 10 mm vs. to 5 mm), narrower inflorescence (ca. 3.5 cm vs. ca. 6 cm in diameter), without a dense white wool between the flowers, the floral bracts and flowers are well visible (vs. with a dense white wool covering the floral bracts and sepals and completely hiding them), shorter floral bracts (15–16 mm vs. ca. 20 mm) and the acute ovules (vs. caudate).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A–D. Aechmea avaldoana (Reis Jr. & Soares s.n). A. Apex of the leaf. B. Basal margin of the leaf blade. C. Flower. D. sepal. E–I. Aechmea gregaria (Leme 8761 et al.). E. Apex of the leaf blade. F. Floral bracts. G. Flower. H. Sepal. I. Petal. J–S. Aechmea timida (Leme 8664 et al.). J. Apex of the leaf. K. Basal margin of the leaf blade. L. Frontal-abaxial view of the floral bract. M. Lateral view of the floral bract. N. Flower. O. Sepal. P. Petal with 2 stamens. Q. Blade of the stigma. R. Lateral view of the anther. S. Frontal view of the anther.

FIGURE 4. Aechmea timida (Leme 8664 et al.). A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Details of the flower. D. Details of the basal portion of the petals and stamens. E. Population at the type locality.