Cryptanthus lutandensis E.H. Souza & Leme, 2021

Souza, Everton Hilo De & Leme, Elton M. C., 2021, New Cryptanthus species (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil, Phytotaxa 523 (2), pp. 179-191 : 184-186

2. Cryptanthus lutandensis E.H. Souza & Leme , sp. nov. ( Fig. 4 A–G )

Diagnosis:—This new species is morphologically closely related to C. reisii , but differs from it by its caulescent habit, plant ca. 20 cm long (vs. 7 cm) with more leaves (ca. 20 vs. ca. 8), shorter leaf blades (25–28 cm vs. 30–55 cm long), sepals with narrowly lanceolate and acuminate lobes (vs. suborbicular, obtuse to slightly cucullate), which are longer and more narrow (7–9 × 2.5–3 mm vs. ca. 5 × 4 mm), and petals white (vs. white with greenish apex) with acute apex (vs. emarginate).

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Pindobaçu, Lutanda, Serra da Fumaça , parte superior do Poço das Estrelas, próximo ao acampamento, 870 m elevation, 10º 39’ 17.8” S, 40º 22’ 20.6” W, 4 October 2019, E.H. Souza 212, M.M. Leodegário, J.G.S. Santos & A. Ferreira (holotype HURB!, isotype RB!) .

Description:— Plants terrestrial, caulescent, ca. 20 cm high when in bloom, propagating by erect axillary shoots. Leaves ca. 20 in number before anthesis, ca. 15 in number at anthesis, subspreading at anthesis, subdensely arranged; sheath subtrapeziform, greenish-white to bronze colored at distal end, densely lepidote abaxially near distal end, glabrous toward the base, adaxially glabrous; blade narrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate, slightly narrowed toward the base but not pseudopetiolate, 25–28 × 2.5–3 cm, coriaceous, slightly canaliculate, dull green to reddish-bronze colored mainly toward the base, thicker median channel absent, abaxially densely and coarsely white lepidote of trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote toward the base to glabrous, margins slightly undulate, densely spinulose; spines triangular, antrorsely uncinate, greenish to reddish, 0.7–1.5 mm long, 2–6 mm apart. Inflorescence sessile, elongate, corymbose, ca. 7 cm long, ca. 3 cm in diameter at the apex, once branched at the base and bearing an conspicuous simple central portion forming a dense head of 35–50 staminate flowers surrounded by ca. 5 flower fascicles; primary bracts resembling the leaves; flower fascicles 3–4 flowered, complanate, ca. 37 × 18 mm; floral bracts in the fascicles narrowly subtriangular-lanceolate, acuminate, 24–26 × 5–10 mm, membranaceous, hyaline toward the margins, sparsely pale brown lepidote mainly toward the apex, and with sparse fimbriate trichomes along the apical margins, entire or nearly so, about equalling 1/3 of the sepal length, carinate. Flowers sessile, odorless, the the perfect ones ca. 54 mm long (with the petals extended), the staminate ones ca. 35 mm long (with the petals extended); sepals 18–19 mm long, unequally connate for 10–11 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote mainly toward the apex, whitish-hyaline to greenish; the lobes narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 7–9 × 2.5–3 mm, symmetrical, obtusely carinate, margins entire to inconspicuously crenulate with sparsely fimbriate trichomes; petals narrowly lingulate, apex acute, white, exceeding the stamens but spreading-recurved at anthesis and exposing them; those of the perfect flowers ca. 35 × 6 mm, connate at the base for ca. 6 mm, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities at the base of the free lobes; filaments ca. 25 mm long, the antesepalous ones for ca. 6 mm adnate to the petal-tube and free above it, the antepetalous adnate to the petals for ca. 9 mm; anthers ca. 3.5 mm long, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base bilobed, apex narrowly obtuse; ovary narrowly trigonous obovoid, ca. 15 × 6 mm, white, glabrous; stigma conduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 5 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, white, margins scalloped, without papillae, epigynous tube lacking, placentation apical; ovules few, obtuse. Fruits not seen.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:— Cryptanthus lutandensis was observed growing on the shaded forest floor of an Atlantic Forest fragment located in Serra da Fumaça, county of Pindobaçu, in Bahia state ( Fig. 1 and 2 B ). Its population is composed of small groups of individuals sparsely distributed in the area with a population estimated of ca. 150 individuals at the top of the Fumaça River waterfall.

Due to its natural beauty, the region receives visitors throughout the year on a disorganized ecotourism basis. The uncontrolled access to the area, combined with the absence of any extra conservation measure, constitutes a serious threat to C. lutandensis . The GeoCAT (Bachmann et al. 2011) estimated the extent of the occurrence of this new species as about 0.167 km 2, while its area of occupancy is about 12.000 Km² (AOO), which indicate that C. lutandensis is a critically endangered species (CR) according to the criteria adopted by IUCN (2020).

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species refers to the locality of Lutanda, in Serra da Fumaça, the upper part of Poço das Estrelas, in Pindobaçu county, Bahia, where this new species was collected.

Additional specimen examined (paratype):— BRAZIL. Bahia: Pindobaçu, Serra da Fumaça , 750 m elevation, 10º 41’ 44” S, 40º 22’ 48” W, 8 April 2014, A.P. Fontana 8914 (MBML!) .

Observations:— Cryptanthus lutandensis is the morphologically closest relative of C. reisii Leme (2002a: 87) , a species known from Atlantic Forest fragments in the lower elevated region of Itapetinga, Bahia. Nevertheless, C. lutandendis can be easily distinguished from C. reisii by its distinctly caulescent habit, ca. 20 cm high (vs. ca. 7 cm high) with a larger number of leaves (ca. 15 vs. ca. 8), shorter leaf blades, sepals with narrowly lanceolate and acuminate lobes (vs. suborbicular, obtuse to slightly cucullate), which are longer and narrower, and petals completely white without greenish apex with acute apex, not emarginate.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of four new species of the Cryptanthus (C. flesherii, C. lutandensis, C. santosii and C. solidadeanus).

FIGURE 2. A. General view of Atlantic Forest at the type locality of Cryptanthus flesherii from Igrapiuna, Bahia, Brazil. B. General view of rocky outcrop vegetation of an inselberg at the type locality of Cryptanthus lutandensis from Serra da Fumaça, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil. C. General view of Restinga at the type locality of Cryptanthus santosii from Belmonte, Bahia, Brazil. D. General view of Semideciduous Forest fragment at the type locality of Cryptanthus solidadeanus from Serrana District, Brejões, Bahia, Brazil. Photos = A. L.Y.S.Aona; B, D. E.H. Souza; C. J.E. Santos

FIGURE 4. Cryptanthus lutandensis from Serra da Fumaça, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil: A. Small group of plants at the type locality. B. Leaves. C–D. Inflorescence with staminate and perfect flowers. E. Details of a staminate and perfect flower. F. Petals. G. Conduplicatepatent stigma type. Bars = B. 2,8 cm; C. 4 cm; D. 8 cm; E.15 mm; F. 5 mm; G. 2 mm. Photos by E.H. Souza