Cryptanthus cruzalmensis Leme & E.H. Souza, 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 : 159-161

1.1. Cryptanthus cruzalmensis Leme & E.H. Souza , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 , A–F)

Diagnosis:––This new species can be distinguished from its morphologically closest relative, Cryptanthus pseudopetiolatus , by the propagation by long and slender stolons (vs. by short axillar shoots), and sepals with obtuse lobes (vs. acute) and entire margins (vs. distinctly spinulose).

Type:–– BRAZIL. Bahia: Cruz das Almas, Mata do Cazuzinha, near Cruz das Almas downtown, 135 m elevation, 12º39’59” S, 39º06’19.4” W, 19 February 2019, E. Leme 9568 & E. Hilo de Souza (holotype RB!).

Description:–– Plants terrestrial, stemless, propagating by slender stolons of 25–30 × 0.4–0.5 cm. Leaves 6–8 in number, spreading at anthesis, laxly arranged; sheath subreniform, greenish-white to bronze colored at the distal end, densely lepidote abaxially near distal end, glabrous toward the base; blade narrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate, narrowed toward the base but not petiolate, 25–50 × 3.4–5.5 cm, coriaceous, nearly flat, green to reddish-bronze colored mainly toward the margins, non-lustrous, with a thicker median channel mainly toward the base, abaxially densely and coarsely white lepidote of trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially densely and minutely white lepidote to glabrescent, trichomes not obscuring the color, margins distinctly undulate, very densely spinulose; spines triangular, straight to slightly antrorsely uncinate, greenish to reddish, 0.3–0.4 mm long, 0.5–3 mm apart. Inflorescence sessile, shortly corymbose, ca. 3 cm long, ca. 2.5 cm in diameter, once branched at the base and bearing an inconspicuous simple central portion with densely arranged flowers; primary bracts resembling the leaves; flower fascicles ca. 5 in number, with ca. 2 flowers, complanate, ca. 23 × 15 mm; floral bracts in the flower fascicles subtriangular, subacute, 15–18 × 8–12 mm, membranaceous, hyaline toward the margins, glabrous or nearly so with exception of the sparse fimbriate trichomes along the apical margins, entire or remotely crenulate at the apex, about equalling the middle of the sepals, distinctly carinate. Flowers sessile, odorless, the perfect ones 42–50 mm long (with the petals extended), the staminate ones slightly shorter; sepals 12–14 mm long, connate for 6–8 mm, glabrous, whitish-hyaline to greenish, lobes broadly elliptic, obtuse and minutely apiculate, 5–6 × 5 mm, symmetrical, obtusely carinate, margins entire; petals narrowly lingulate, apex obtuse-emarginate, white except for the greenish apex at the beginning of anthesis, exceeding the stamens but spreading-recurved at anthesis and exposing them; those of the perfect flowers 35–42 × 4.5– 5.5 mm, connate at the base for 12–13 mm, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities at the base of the free lobes; filaments ca. 33 mm long, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petal-tube and free above it, the antepetalous adnate to the petals for ca. 20 mm; anthers ca. 3 mm long, dorsifixed near the middle, base bilobed, apex narrowly obtuse; stigma conduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 5 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide, white, margins scalloped, without papillae; ovary subquadrate, subtrigonous, slightly complanate ca. 7 × 6.5 mm, white, glabrous; epigynous tube lacking; placentation apical; ovules few, obtuse. Fruits not seen.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:–– Cryptanthus cruzalmensis is a terrestrial species which grows on the shaded forest floor in an Atlantic Forest fragment known as Mata do Cazuzinha, in the urban area of Cruz das Almas city, in Bahia state ( Fig. 1 A–B ). The county is situated in the Paraguaçu River basin, south of “Recôncavo Baiano” as the region around Todos dos Santos Bay is known.

Its population is composed of medium groups of individuals more or less sparsely distributed in the area with a population estimated of ca. 250 individuals. The uncontrolled access to the area, which is a public park in the neighborhood of the city, combined with the absence of any extra conservation measure, constitutes a serious threat to C. cruzalmensis . So, it can be classified as a critically endangered species (CR) according to the criteria B2 ab + ii + iii of IUCN (2012).

Etymology:––The specific epithet is a reference to the county of Cruz das Almas, Bahia state, where C. cruzalmensis was collected.

Additional specimen examined (paratypes): –– BRAZIL. Bahia: Cruz das Almas, mata dentro de la ciudade de Cruz das Almas , 10-20 m elevation, 12°21’ S, 38°33’ W, 13 August 1994, I. Ramírez & H. S. Brito 490 (CEPEC! MO! NY!) ; ibidem, Mata da Cazuzinha , 12º40’39” S, 39º06’23” W, 27 May 2012, S.S. Simões 35 et al. (HURB!) ; ibidem, 12º40’39” S, 39º 06’23” W, 30 August 2012, S.S. Simões 113 et al. (HURB!); ibidem, 12º39’58.2” S, 39º06’20” W, December 2018, E.H. Souza 726 (HURB!).

Observations:— Cryptanthus cruzalmensis is morphologically closely related to C. pseudopetiolatus Philcox (1992: 265) , which is a confusing species poorly known due to its partially inaccurate original description and the broad species concept adopted by Ramírez (1996) including three or more taxa. This is inferred from the list of cited specimens and the proposed synonym of C. ruthae Philcox (1992: 268) and C. vexatus Leme (1995: 9) .

In the protologue of C. pseudopetiolatus ( Philcox 1992) its calyx is described as 30 mm long with a basal tube of 22 mm, while the ovary is referred to as “incompletely known”. These characteristics are not confirmed by the direct examination of the holotype deposited in herbarium CEPEC, which revealed sepals ca. 13 mm long, connate at the base for ca. 7 mm, with lobes broadly ovate, acute, distinctly spinulose, and ca. 6 × 4.5 mm. The ovary is narrowly clavate, ca. 10 mm long. In contrast with the description by Ramírez (1996) where the sepals of C. pseudopetiolatus are 15–21 (–28) mm long and connate at the base for (4–) 10–11 (–22) mm.

One of the specimens cited by Ramírez (1996) as C. pseudopetiolatus from Cruz das Almas (I. Ramírez & H. S. Brito 490) is recognized here as the new C. cruzalmensis and was collected at the same locality as the type specimen. The presence of a long stolon is clearly visible in the duplicate deposited in the herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden (MO), which led Harry E. Luther (1952–2012) also to consider it as a new species. In 1997, he wrote on an existing label in the herbarium sheet: “ Cryptanthus sp. nov. cf. C. ubairensis I. Ramírez ined.”

This new species can be distinguished from the morphologically closest relative, C. pseudopetiolatus , by the propagation by long and slender stolons (vs. by short axillar shoots), leaf blade with the distal portion ca. 1.5 times wider than the basal portion (vs. distinctly narrowed toward the base, with distal portion 2.5–2.7 times wider than the basal portion), floral bracts entire or nearly so (vs. laxly serrate), and sepals with obtuse lobes (vs. acute) and entire margins (vs. distinctly spinulose).

On the other hand, C. cruzalmensis is also morphologically close to C. vexatus , differing by its stemless habit (vs. distinctly caulescent with a stem 20–25 cm long), propagating by long and slender stolons (vs. by short axillar shoots), basal flower fascicles ca. 2-flowered (vs. 5–7-flowered), sepals higher connate at the base (6–8 mm vs. 4–5 mm) with lobes brodly elliptic (vs. suboblong) and obtuse (vs. subacute), and petals higher connate at the base (12–13 mm vs. 4–5 mm).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cryptanthus cruzalmensis from Cruz das Almas, Bahia state (Leme 9568 & Souza): A–B. Small group of plants forms its population at the type locality. C. Habit. D. Conduplicate-patent stigma type. E. Central staminate flowers and one hermaphrodite flower of the lateral flower fascicle. F. Details of the hermaphrodite flower of the lateral flower fascicle.