Vriesea serranegrensis Leme, 2011

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2011, New species and a new combination of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 16 (1), pp. 1-36 : 33-34

Vriesea serranegrensis Leme , sp. nov. ( Figs. 12 , C–D, 13 , G–K)

A Vriesea densiflora , cui affinis, laminis foliorum latioribus, bracteis scapi quam internodia distincte superantibus, internodiis rachidis ramorum duplo brevioribus, bracteis floriferis brevioribus, sepalis brevioribus latioribusque et petalis anguste subspathulatis differt.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Itamarandiba, Padre João Afonso, Serra do Espinhaço, Vale do Jequitinhonha, Parque Estadual de Serra Negra , próximo a torre de celular da Telemig, 18º 00’ 20.2” S, 42º 43’ 28.9” W, 1200–1600 m, 13–14 September 2006, Fontana, Mota & Brahim 2408, fl. cult. October 2008, Leme 6904 (holotype HB) .

Plant saxicolous, flowering ca. 50 cm high. Leaves ca. 15 in number, densely rosulate, forming a broadly funnelform rosette; sheaths broadly elliptic-ovate, 8–9 × 9–11 cm, densely and minutely brown lepidote on both sides, thinly coriaceous, abaxially dark castaneous mainly toward the base, adaxially paler colored; blades lingulate, 15 × 7–8 cm, not narrowed at the base, apex rounded to slightly emarginate and minutely apiculate, greenish-glaucous with purplish irregular spots mainly toward the apex, thinly coriaceous, sparsely and inconspicously white lepidote and covered on both sides by a thin layer of white wax. Peduncle stout, ca. 20 cm long, ca. 0.7 cm in diameter, erect, glabrous, green; peduncle bracts broadly ovate to suborbicular, broadly acute and apiculate, 3-4 × 2.8–3.0 cm, erect except for the suberect apex, enfolding the peduncle, distinctly exceeding the internodes, greenish to castaneous, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote mainly inside. Inflorescence shortly paniculate, densely once-branched, ca. 14 cm long, ca. 12 cm in diameter, erect; primary bracts suborbicular to orbicular, obtuse and inconspicuously apiculate, 20–25 × 25–28 mm, strongly concave and gibbous, pale castaneous, lustrous, divergent, suberect with the branches, exceeding the stipes; branches ca. 6 in number (including the terminal one), the lateral ones 6–8 cm long, suberect, densely flowered at anthesis, bearing 5 to 8 flowers; rachis geniculate, stout, green, glabrous, obtusely angulose, internodes 0.4–0.5 × 0.4–0.5 cm; stipes 1.0–1.5 × 0.8 cm, subcomplanate, green, glabrous, bearing 1 to 2, inflated, carinate sterile bracts at the apex similar to the floral bracts; the terminal branch erect or nearly so, ca. 8.5 cm long, ca. 11-flowered, stipes ca. 1 × 0.6 cm, stout, straight, ebracteate; floral bracts suborbicular, 17–19 × 20–22 mm, apex obtuse-emarginate, pale castaneous, inconspicuously and sparsely brown lepidote inside, lustrous and glabrous outside, not completely covering the sepals and about reaching 2/5 to 1/2 of its length, strongly convex and inflated, gibbous, unilaterally-secund with the flowers, ecarinate to bearing a protruded central nerve and appearing carinate. Flowers distichous, odorless, downwardly secund at anthesis in the lateral braches to divergent to slightly secund in the terminal branch, densely arranged, ca. 40 mm long (not including the stamens), pedicels stout, 4–5 mm long, ca. 6 mm in diameter at the distal end, green, glabrous; sepals broadly elliptic, apex emarginate, 18–20 × 13 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote inside, glabrous outside, free, ecarinate, pale green, distinctly concave, thinly coriaceous toward the apex, thicker at the base; petals narrowly subspatulate, apex emarginate, 32 × 11.5–12.0 mm, yellow, erect (except the apex) and forming a tubular corolla ca. 8 mm in diameter at the apex; bearing at the base 2 broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute to obtuse, ca. 5 × 2.5 mm appendages. Stamens exceeding the petals by ca. 5 mm; filaments subcomplanate and slightly dilated toward the apex, pale yellow, adnate to the petals for ca. 2 mm; anthers linear-sagittate, ca. 6.5 mm long, apex acute, fixed near the base; pollen oblong-elliptic, sulcate, exine reticulate, lumina polygonal, muri narrowed; pistil about equaling the petals; stigma convolute-bladed, densely papillose, yellow, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter; ovules long caudate. Capsules unknown.

Distribution and habitat:—According to their collectors, V. serranegrensis is apparently an endemic species of the Espinhaço range, within the State Park of Serra Negra, Minas Gerais state. It has a rupicolous habit in the “Campos Rupestres” vegetation, growing under full sun exposuse in sites with rock outcrops, at 1200–1600 m elevation.

Etymology:—This species is named for Serra Negra State Park, where the species was discovered, bringing to light the importance of conserving the rich biodiversity of this State Park.

Observations:— Vriesea serranegrensis is morphologically similar to V. densiflora Mez (1894:568) , a poorly known species of the “Campos Rupestres” of Minas Gerais. However, this new species differs from it by the broader leaf blades (7–8 cm vs. 5–6 cm wide), peduncle bracts distinctly exceeding the internodes (vs. equaling to shorter than the internodes), rachis of the lateral branches with shorter internodes (0.4–0.5 cm vs. ca. 10 mm long), shorter floral bracts (17–19 mm vs. ca. 25 mm long), sepals shorter and broader (18–20 × 13 mm vs. 22–24 × 11.0– 11.5 mm), and by the narrowly subspatulate petals (vs. lingulate).

Figures

FIGURE 12. A–B. Vriesea santaleopoldinensis (Kollmann 11840). A. Habit. B. Floral detail. C–D. Vriesea serranegrensis (Fontana et. al. 2408). C. Inflorescence. D. Habit.

FIGURE 13. A–F. Vrieseasantaleopoldinensis (Kollmann 11840). A. Leaf blade apex. B. Flower. C. sepal. D. Corolla front view. E. Floral bract. F. Petal. G–K. Vriesea serranegrensis (Fontana et. al. 2408). G. Leaf blade apex. H. Flower. I. Floral bract. J. Sepal. K. Petal.