Wittmackia abbreviata (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 631)

Aguirre-Santoro, Julián, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia (Bromeliaceae), Phytotaxa 336 (2), pp. 101-147 : 110

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.336.2.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7B38B240-0C0C-3B16-FF51-74E1FCCEFE36
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Wittmackia abbreviata (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 631)
status

Treatment

1. Wittmackia abbreviata (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 631) View in CoL . Basionym: Hohenbergia abbreviata L.B.Sm. & Proctor in Smith (1960: 253). TYPE:— JAMAICA. Trelawny Parish: vicinity of Ramgoat Cave, Cockpit Country, 457 m, 22 October 1955, G.R. Proctor 11048 (holotype US!, isotype IJ!)

Plant epiphytic or rupicolous, cespitose; rosette broad. Leaves 56–87.5 cm long, coriaceous; sheaths conspicuous, oblong to elliptical, 14–22.5 × 10–12 cm, pale brown, lepidote on both surfaces, entire; blades lingulate, 41–75 cm long, 8.5–9.5 cm wide at the base, 8.2–8.9 cm wide in the middle, green, both surfaces smooth, lepidote abaxially, glabrescent adaxially, apex initially rounded, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro, margins serrate, occasionally entire, the teeth evenly distributed, triangular to hook-shaped, straight to antrorse, green, 0.2–0.8 mm long. Inflorescence strongly inclined to pendulous; peduncle almost completely exposed out of the rosette, stout, rigid, 72–89.8 cm long, 4.5–10 mm in diameter, green, floccose, central internodes 3.2–7 cm, distal 2.5–3.8 cm; peduncle bracts shorter to longer than the internodes, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, green to pale brown, the central ones erect, imbricate to lax, lanceolate, 4.5–9 × 1.1–1.8 cm, sparsely floccose, entire, apex acuminate, the distal ones erect, imbricate to lax, lanceolate, 4.8–8.2 × 0.3–0.9 cm, sparsely floccose, entire, apex acuminate; fertile part of the inflorescence conical, 36–50.7 cm long, 9.4–20 cm wide in the middle, 1-divided, branches 30 to 46(–65) in number, rachis straight, green, 33–54 cm long, 3–6 mm in diameter, floccose to sparsely floccose. Primary bracts similar to the peduncle bracts, gradually diminishing in size towards the apex of the inflorescence, divaricate, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, shorter than the branches, the basal ones linear-lanceolate, 4.7–7.4 × 0.4–0.6 cm, pale brown, sparsely floccose to glabrescent, entire, apex attenuate; the distal ones lanceolate, 1.3 × 0.2 cm, pale brown, glabrescent, entire, the apex attenuate. Spikes globose to cylindrical, 1.3–4.1 cm long, 1–1.5(–1.8) cm wide in the middle; stipes exposed, 51–63 mm long, 1–2 mm in diameter, terete, sparsely floccose, 9–25 flowered; rachis 1–3.8 cm long. Floral bracts partially enfolding the ovaries, imbricate at anthesis, diverging from the rachis, slightly concave, coriaceous, ovate, 3.8–4.9 × 3.4–7 mm, green to cream at anthesis, nervose, ecarinate, sparsely floccose to glabrescent, entire to minutely serrulate, apex initially narrowly obtuse to obtuse, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 0.9–1.8 mm long. Flowers suberect to forming an angle of 30º–60º with the rachis, 3.8–4.9 mm long. Calyx dorsiventrally compressed; sepals coriaceous, triangular, asymmetrical, 3.4–4.8 mm long, 1.6–4.2 mm wide at the base, the unwinged side 0.6–1.3 mm wide, the winged side 2.1–2.5 mm wide, light green, nervose, sparsely floccose to glabrescent, entire, apex initially acute, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 0.5–1.2 mm long. Corolla tubular, apically spreading; petals oblong-lanceolate, 9.7 × 2.4 mm, white, glabrous, entire, apex acute; petal appendages originating at 2–2.5 mm from the petal base. Stamens included; filaments flattened, 6.8 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, white; anthers lanceolate, 2.6 × 0.6 mm, cream, mucronate. Ovary ovoid, 2.4–2.9 × 4.1 mm, light green, sparsely floccose to glabrescent; epigynous tube 0.2–0.5 mm long; ovules more than 30 in number, globose. Style longer than the stamens, 9 mm long; stigma, 1.4 mm long. Fruits ovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 5.5–8.9 × 2.7–5.7 mm, white, glabrous ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ).

Etymology:— The specific epithet of this species likely refers to its short spikes.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology:— Wittmackia abbreviata is endemic to the central region of the Cockpit Country in central Jamaica at 275–840 m elevation ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ). It grows on wooded limestone hills, either in exposed or shaded areas. Wittmackia abbreviata grows sympatrically with W. polycephala . Collected in flower in July.

Conservation status:— Although the extent of occurrence of Wittmackia abbreviata does not exceed the 200 km 2, this species is categorized here as Vulnerable (VU B1ab(iii); IUCN 2001) because it has been collected in 8 locations and inhabits the central Cockpit Country of Jamaica, an area of well-established forests with potential threats derived mainly from sporadic deforestation.

Taxonomic comments and affinities:— Wittmackia abbreviata is one of the four species that exhibit stipes many times longer than the spikes. It can be confounded with specimens of W. distans with short spikes because of its pendulous inflorescence and exceptionally long stipes. However, W. abbreviata has a shorter and narrower inflorescence (36–51 × 9.4–10 cm vs. 52–91 × 23–36 cm), generally shorter basal primary bracts (4.7–7.5 cm vs. 7.5–9 cm long), shorter stipes (51–63 mm vs. 85–133 mm long), and shorter floral bracts (3.8–4.9 mm vs. 6.5–11 mm long). In the protologue W. abbreviata is also compared with W. laesslei but differs from this species by its pendulous inflorescence at anthesis, peduncular bracts surpassing the internodes, and basal primary bracts longer than the basal branches.

Additional specimens examined: — JAMAICA. St. Ann Parish : 1.5 miles due south of Gibraltar P.O., 609 m, 14 July 1956, Proctor 15522 (IJ!, NY [photo], US!). Trelawny Parish: Cockpit Country, unpaved road between Burnt Hills and Ramgoat Cave, about 6 km from Warsop, 545 m, 18º18’52.5”N, 77º33’27.8”W, 26 June 2012, Aguirre-Santoro et al. 1812 (IJ!, NY!, US!) GoogleMaps ; Barbecue Bottom , 395 m, 23 June 1970, duQuesnay 376 ( UCWI!) ; just north of Burnt Hill crossroads, 550–580 m, 15 August 1965, Hespenheide 1257 ( MICH!) ; vicinity of Ramgoat Cave , Cockpit Country, 460 m, 4 July 1955, Howard et al. 14435 (IJ!, US!) ; Alps district , 1.5 miles N.N.E. of Ulster Spring, 460 m, 22 August 1956, Proctor 15661 ( IJ!) ; Cockpit Country along track between Windsor and Tyer, north of Troy, 490–520 m, 28 August 1956, Proctor 15768 ( IJ!) ; Island View Hill , Wilson Valley district, 1.5 miles north of Warsop, 610–670 m, 26 June 1960, Proctor 21335 ( IJ!) ; 10 April 1961, Proctor 22190 ( IJ!) ; along track to Dry River below Sawyers, Ulster Spring main road, 275 m, 17 November 1968, Proctor 29382 ( IJ!) ; hills overlooking Broadleaf Water , 1.5 miles northwest of Litchfield, 840 m, 5 July 1974, Proctor 34112 ( IJ!) ; vicinity of Mango Tree Hill , Cockpit Country, 550– 600 m, 9 December 2001, Proctor 52040 ( IJ!) ; vicinity of Berlin Estate , c. 4.5 km due east of Ulster Spring, 450–600 m, 9 February 2007, Proctor 52591 ( IJ!) ; along the donkey trail at top of ridge on right-hand side, 1 mile north of Burnt Hill Intersection , 400–550 m, 22 January 1967, Read 1751 ( US!) .