Vriesea maguirei Smith (1969: 32)

Kessous, Igor M. & Costa, Andrea F., 2023, Novelties in “ incertae sedis ” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision, Phytotaxa 585 (2), pp. 71-101 : 88-89

3.4 Vriesea maguirei Smith (1969: 32) .

Type : — BRAZIL. Amazonas: summit, Serra da Neblina, 2,340 m elev., 1 December 1965, Maguire, Pires & Maguire 60442 (holotype US!, isotypes US!, NY!, F!)

Description:—Plant epiphytic or terrestrial,heliophyte,flowering 160−170cm high. Leaves forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath oblong, 11−13 × 9−11 cm, densely lepidote on both surfaces, denser on the adaxial surface; blade oblong, triangular attenuate toward the apex, 46–51 × 7–7.5 cm, apex acute, lepidote on both surfaces, denser on the abaxial surface. Inflorescence compound, once-branched, distichous, ca. 150 cm long, erect; peduncle erect, ca. 100– 110 cm long, 10–29 mm in diameter (flattened in sicco), glabrous; peduncle bracts erect to suberect, imbricate, ovate to oblong, 7–14 × 4–5 cm, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces; main axis hidden by the branches and bracts, ca. 30–40 cm long, ca. 11.5 mm in diameter, glabrous; primary bracts ovate-elliptic, 62–77 × 35–40 mm, lepidote on the adaxial surface; spikes 14–16 (including the terminal one) in number, 6–9 cm long, densely 5–7 flowered, complanate, with or without a sterile bract at the apex; rachis geniculate, 30–40 mm long and ca. 5 mm in diameter. Floral bracts ovate, acute, 47–55 × 20–32 mm, carinate toward the apex, yellow with red apex, equaling or slightly exceeding the sepals, glabrous on the abaxial surface, and densely lepidote on the adaxial surface. Flowers ca. 60 mm long, ca. 7.5 mm apart, distichous, suberect; sepals narrowly oblong, 30–35 × 9–10 mm, free, ecarinate, symmetric to subsymmetric, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface, glabrous on the abaxial surface; petals linear-oblong or slightly spatulate, 50 × 8–10 mm; petal appendages not observed in the examined material (however observed by Smith, 1969); stamens included; filament ca. 30 mm long; anther ca. 6.7 × 1.2 mm, erect; pistil exceeding the stamens; ovary conical, ca. 6.5 × 2.2 mm; style ca. 42 mm long; stigma unknown. Fruits fusiform, suberect, 35–40 mm long; seeds including coma 16–17 mm long, with a short or absent apical coma, basal coma ca. 10 mm.

Distribution: —This species grows as an epiphyte or terrestrially, from 1,730 –2,500 m above sea level, near the border between Venezuela and Brazil, region of the Serra da Neblina (Cerro de la Neblina).

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —Unlike other Vriesea species, V. maguirei has an inconspicuous (or absent) apical coma on the seed (vs. conspicuous). In addition, it has a compound inflorescence with dense spikes. This type of inflorescence is observed especially in Mezobromelia species ( Barfuss et al. 2016), which has a similar geographical distribution in northern and northwestern South America. We were unable to ascertain the morphology of the stigma in the material examined.

Despite the features that may indicate an affinity to Mezobromelia , we opted to maintain this species in Vriesea , especially because lack of certain reproductive traits to support a new combination.

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ maguirei ” refers to the collector of the type, Bassett Maguire (1904–1991).

Representative Specimens Examined: — VENEZUELA. Amazonas: Cerro de Neblina, Planicie de Zuloaga, Rio Titirico , October 1970, Steyermark 103873 ( VEN) ; Cerro de la Neblina, Camp VII, 5 km. NE of Pico Phelps (=Neblina), 00°50’45”N, 65°38’10”W, alt. 1,730–1,850 m, 31 January 1985, Nee 30669 ( NY). BRAZIL. Amazonas : P.N. do Pico da Neblina, matas nebulares a aprox. 2,300/2,500 m elev. encostas do Platô a 2,200 m elev., 20 August 1985, Farney & Pessoa 856 ( RB) ; Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina , Igarapé Cuiabixi. 0 o 47’18”N, 66 o 01’15”W, 2,060 m elev., 20 November 2012, Forzza et al. 7213 ( RB) ; Santa Isabel do Rio Negro. Parque Nacional do Pico da Neblina, picada da Bacia do Gelo para igarapé Ariabuzinho, 0 o 47’19”N, 66 o 01’23”O, 2,100 m elev., 21 November 2012, Martinelli et al. 17837 ( RB, INPA).