Orthophytum gouveianum Leme

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 : 196

6.2. Orthophytum gouveianum Leme & O.B.C. Ribeiro, sp. nov. ( Fig. 17 A–E )

Diagnosis:— This new species differs from O. mello-barretoi , morphologically the closest relative, by its longer leaf blades (13–21 cm vs. 12–14 cm), longer floral bracts (20–23 mm vs. 12–15 mm), longer flowers (40–47 mm vs. 28–31 mm), larger sepals (20 × 5.5–6 mm vs. 13.5–15 × 4.5–5 mm), and larger petals (ca. 36 × 7 mm vs. 23–26 × 4.5 mm).

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Gouveia, near Camelinho, secondary road to Fazenda do Zezé (Milton), deviation on the right from BR 259, after three gates, rock outcrop in the valley, 1118 m elevation, 18°30’42.5”S, 43°51’35.1”W, 10 August 2017, E. Leme 9244, O. Ribeiro & R. Oliveira (holotype RB!).

Description:— Plants stemless, flowering 10–15 cm tall, propagating by slender rhizomes 11 × 0.3–0.4 cm long. Leaves before anthesis ca. 7 in number or 3–4 at anthesis, coriaceous, spreading-recurved, forming a lax rosette; sheath subreniform, ca. 1.5 × 3 cm, whitish, glabrescent adaxially, densely to subdensely white lepidote abaxially; blade narrowly triangular-lanceolate, attenuate, apex caudate, 13–21 × 1.8–3 cm, distinctly canaliculate, distinctly nerved abaxially, bronze-red colored with the color not obscured by the trichomes, both surfaces slightly contrasting with each other, adaxial side glabrous and lustrous, abaxial side densely white lepidote of trichomes intercostal, margins subdensely spinose; spines 2–2.5 mm long, 3–7 mm apart, narrowly subtriangular-uncinate, the basal ones retrorse, the other ones straight or antrorse. Inflorescence (fertile part) compound, compact-glomerulate, ca. 6 cm long, ca. 3 cm in diameter (not including the primary bracts); peduncle 6–8 × 0.6 cm, erect, reddish, densely white lanate; peduncle bracts 2–3 in number, resembling the leaves, spreading to strongly recurved, exposing the peduncle; primary bracts resembling the upper peduncle bracts, green near the base and dark red toward the apex, distinctly longer than the flower fascicles, the distal ones reduced in size, subspreading to suberect to curved; flower fascicles ca. 4 in number, densely arranged, subflabellate-pulvinate, excluding the petals ca. 33 × 20 mm, 2–4-flowered; floral bracts narrowly triangular, acuminate, hyaline and membranaceous toward the base and margins, greenish toward the apex, densely white lanate at the apex, glabrous elsewhere, finely nerved, slightly to distinctly exceeded by the sepals, strongly carinate, 20–23 × 10–13 mm, margins inconspicuously denticulate-crenulate at the apex. Flowers sessile, 40–47 mm long, odorless; sepals narrowly oblong, acute and apiculate, 20 × 5.5–6 mm, free, green, white lanate at the extreme apex, glabrous elsewhere, the adaxial ones carinate with the keel decurrent on the ovary, the abaxial one obtusely carinate; petals sublinear-spathulate, obtuse-cucullate, free, green except for the white apex and distal margins, ca. 36 × 7 mm, erect and forming a tubular clavate corolla, bearing 2 appendages at the base; petal appendages scutelliform with tendency to cupuliform, irregularly and broadly bladed, suborbicular, margins crenulate-denticulate; stamens not exposed; filaments distinctly unequal, the antesepalous ones free, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 21 mm, shorter than the antesepalous ones; anthers oblong, ca. 3 mm long at anthesis (ca. 6 mm long before anthesis), dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base and apex obtuse, laterally complanate; pollen ellipsoid, ca. 50 μm long, sulcate, sulcus covered by small somewhat interconnected exine islands mainly near the margins, margins indistinct to slightly distinct, exine reticulate, broad, meshes decreasing in size significantly near the margins and towards the apices; ovary ca. 9 × 6 mm, trigonous, broadly clavate, white, glabrous; epigynous tube inconspicuous; ovules numerous, obtuse; placentation apical; style equalling the antesepalous stamens; stigma simple-dilated, white, densely papillate. Fruits unknown.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:— Orthophytum gouveianum is known from the type locality only, where it grows saxicolous in accumulated organic material on partially shaded, more or less horizontal rock outcrops in the Campos Rupestres vegetation, in a valley at about 1118 m elevation, in Gouveia county, Minas Gerais state ( Fig. 17 A–B ). This new species has scattered distribution in this area, foming small groups of plants.

The known population of O. gouveianum is rather small and occupies a geographically limited area. Based on this and the current knowledge on the species, it must be considered critically endangered (CR) under the criteria “A.1. c + d” and “B. 2. a. + b. i to iv” of IUCN (2012).

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species refers to the county of Gouveia where it was found, in Minas Gerais state.

Observations:— Orthophytum gouveianum is morphologically closely related to O. mello-barretoi L.B. Smith (1952: 2 . Fig. 17 F–G ), a species endemic to the region of Serra do Cipó, in the southern part of the Meridional Plateau, while this new species grows in the Diamantina Plateau , about 100 km distant in straight line. It differs from its morphologically closest relative by its longer leaf blades (13–21 cm vs. 12–14 cm), fewer lower floral fascicles (ca. 4 vs. 5–8), longer floral bracts (20–23 mm vs. 12–15 mm), longer flowers (40–47 mm vs. 28–31 mm), larger sepals (20 × 5.5–6 mm vs. 13.5–15 × 4.5–5 mm), that are lanate only at the extreme apex (vs. apex densely and conspicuously lanate), larger petals (ca. 36 × 7 mm vs. 23–26 × 4.5 mm), petal appendages crenulate-denticulate (vs. irregularly lacerate-laciniate), and the antesepalous filaments higher adnate to the petals (for ca. 21 mm vs. for 10–15 mm).

Figures

FIGURE 17. Orthophytum gouveianum from Gouveia, Minas Gerais state (Leme 9244): A. General view of Campos Rupestres vegetation at the type locality. B. Group of individuals at the type locality. C. Habit. D. Details of the flower with tubular clavate corolla. E. Scutelliform with tendency to cupuliform petal appendages. F–G. Orthophytum mello-barretoi (Leme 7243). F. Scutelliform petal appendages. G. Detail of the inflorescence.