Guzmania densispica Gouda & Manzanares, 2017

Gouda, Eric J., Manzanares, José M. & Takizawa, Hiroyuki, 2017, A new species of Guzmania (Bromeliaceae) from Southern Ecuador, Phytotaxa 291 (2), pp. 163-166 : 163-165

Guzmania densispica Gouda & Manzanares , spec. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Diagnosis:—This species is closely related to G. teuscheri , but differs from it by its shorter ovoid or short subcylindric, 9–11 cm wide inflorescence (vs. fusiform to cylindric, ca. 5 cm wide inflorescence), that is more dense with barely visible primary bracts (vs. for most part visible primary bracts), the lower with 2 or 3 axial spikes (vs. one spike per primary bract), floral bracts and sepals green at anthesis (vs. floral bracts and sepals yellow), petals longer (over 4 cm vs. ca. 3 cm) and bright white and spreading to reflexed (vs. pale green or yellowish, suberect to slightly divergent).

Type:— Ecuador: Province El Oro, road (EC 585) Pasaje - Zuruma, alt. 1673 m, 03º31’18’’S 79º42’30”W. 23 November 2005. J. M. Manzanares, E. J.Gouda & H.Takizawa 8131 (holotype QCNE, isotypes U, WU, MO).

Plant acaulescent, flowering up to 100 cm tall, terrestrial or epiphytic; with 15–20 leaves forming a funnelform rosette. Leaves, coriaceous, 45–85 cm long, about as long as the inflorescence but spreading; sheaths ample, pale brown and with a narrow dark transverse brown band at the base, elliptic, not inflated, 17–28 cm long, 9–14 cm wide, tapering into blades, with thin margins, very densely lepidote on both sides, with closely appressed (not overlaping) pale brown scales; blades slightly arched, somewhat stiff, lustrous green, ligulate to linear, 32–58 cm long, 6.0– 8.5 cm wide, with very narrow stiff, hyaline margins, apex broadly rounded, minutely apiculate, sparsely lepidote adaxially, subdensely lepidote abaxially, with closely appressed and minute whitish scales. Inflorescence racemose, very dense, polystichous, once branched or inconspicuously twice branched with up to three spikes within one primary bract, consisting of 20–25 polystichously arranged branches, including peduncle up to ca. 81–84 cm long, glabrescent, green; fertile part 11–14 cm long, 9–11 cm wide, ovoid to short subcylindric; peduncle elongate, green, wholly covered by bracts, erect, ca. 70 cm long, 15 mm in diameter, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, the lower ones foliaceous, densely imbricate, green, brown toward base and apex, chartaceous to coriaceous, minutely apiculate, the upper about twice as long as the internodes, ovate-oblong, subdensely lepidote; axis of the inflorescence indistinct and very short ca. 5 cm; primary bracts divergent with the branches, green with brown apex, subcoriaceous, similar to upper peduncle bracts, very broadly ovate or suborbicular, apiculate, about half as long as the primary branches, minutely lepidote; stipe of the primary branches absent or very short; spikes spreading almost 90° to the axis of the inflorescence, terete, ellipsoid, 4.0– 4.5 cm long, 3 cm wide, very densely polystichously, 10–23 flowered, wholly fertile; rachis hidden; floral bracts suberect, green to brownish toward the base of the midsection, elliptic to obovate, rounded, incurved toward the apex and slightly cucullate, 2.0– 2.3 cm long, 1.0– 1.1 cm wide, densely imbricate, subcoriaceous, even when fresh, rugose when dry or with some subcarinate folds, ecarinate, many times as long as the internodes, exceeded by the sepals, with thin margins, minutely lepidote toward the base abaxially. Flowers contiguous with each other, 4.5 cm long, with elongated receptacle of 5 mm long; sepals whitish, green at the apex, chartaceous, with hyaline margins, even, narrowly obovate, symmetrical, obtuse, strongly incurved, 2.3 cm long, 0.8 cm wide, with hyaline margins, posterior ones distinct from the anterior ones, carinate, connate for 5 mm at the base, glabrous abaxially; petals ligulate, white, 4.2 cm long, 0.6 cm wide, spreading to reflexed at the rounded apex, adnate to the filaments at base, but not connate; stamens exerted, caused by spreading of the petal-blades; filaments flat at the base, dilated and subterete at the apex, white, ca. 3.5 cm long, all equal in length, free part s-shaped; anthers dorsifixed at about one third, curved, ca. 3 mm long; pollen grains cream coloured; pistil exceeding the stamens; ovary narrowly ovoid, ca. 6 mm long, tapering into the style; style slender and ca. 5 times longer than the ovary; stigma lobed, conduplicate and slightly spreading.

Distribution:— Ecuador: Province El Oro. Known only from the type locality.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the dense and compact inflorescence.

Comments:—In herbarium specimens the new species is easily confused with G. teuscheri because the colour and structure of the petals are lost during the pressing and drying process. G. teuscheri is widely distributed in Ecuador (Carchi, Pichincha, Manabí, Cotopaxi, Guayas, Cañar, Azuay, Loja) and adjacent Colombia (Nariño), at elevations ranging from of 800–1800 m, or 500–800 m according Smith & Downs (1977: 1299). It is well possible that there is a difference in elevation of the two species, but for this, the known specimens need to be studied carefully to confirm or reject this assumption. This new species has a relative short peduncle and more compact inflorescence that is much wider and shorter. We also observed occasionally two or three spikes in each primary bract, indicating a reduced twice branched inflorescence, which is very unusual, because no species with this feature are known to the authors.

In fresh material G. densispica is obviously distinct of G. teuscheri , because the last species has bright white spreading to reflexed petals like Guzmania mitis Smith (1932: 31) and related species (mostly with green inflorescences). It is less ornamental, because the inflorescence is mainly green, this in contrast with the yellow sepals and pale yellow petals in G. teuscheri .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dissected flower of Guzmania densispica. A. flower and floral bract. B. floral bract. C. sepals. D. petal and stamens.

FIGURE 2. Guzmania densispica: A. growing as an epiphyte in mountain forest. B. Inflorescence of the type specimen, showing the bright white flowers with spreading to reflexed petals. D. rosette of the type specimen growing terrestrial in habitat. G. teuscheri: C. midsection of an inflorescence showing the partly exposed yellow sepals and pale green petals.