Wittmackia jamaicana (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 634)

Aguirre-Santoro, Julián, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia (Bromeliaceae), Phytotaxa 336 (2), pp. 101-147 : 123-124

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.336.2.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7B38B240-0C13-3B0B-FF51-7539FC18FB46
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Wittmackia jamaicana (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 634)
status

Treatment

8. Wittmackia jamaicana (L.B.Sm. & Proctor) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 634) View in CoL . Basionym: Hohenbergia jamaicana L.B.Sm. & Proctor in Smith (1960: 251). TYPE:— JAMAICA. St. James Parish: 1.5 miles N of Catadupa, 381 m, 5 April 1952, G.R. Proctor 6543 (holotype IJ!, isotype US [fragment]!)

Plant epiphytic, cespitose; rosette broad. Leaves 102–104 cm long, coriaceous; sheaths conspicuous, oblong to elliptical, 18–27 × 10–11.5 cm, pale brown, lepidote on both surfaces, entire; blades lingulate, 75–80 cm long, 8–8.2 cm wide at the base, 6.5–8.2 cm wide in the middle, green, occasionally maculate with darker green spots, smooth, lepidote abaxially, glabrescent adaxially, apex initially rounded, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro, margins serrate, the teeth evenly distributed, triangular, erect, dark castaneous, 1–1.2 × 0.7 mm. Inflorescence erect to inclined; peduncle almost completely exposed out of the rosette, stout, rigid, 35.2–73.5 cm long, 10–12 mm in diameter, green, central internodes 3.2–4.2 cm, distal internodes 1.6–2.1 cm; peduncle bracts all bracts longer than the internodes, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, pale brown, the central ones erect, imbricate, linear-lanceolate, apex attenuate, margins serrulate, occasionally entire, the teeth irregularly distributed, the distal ones forming an angle of 45º–120º with the rachis, lax, linear-lanceolate, apex attenuate, margins serrulate, occasionally entire, the teeth irregularly distributed; fertile part of the inflorescence conical, 30–50.2 cm long, 15–25 cm wide in the middle, 1-divided, occasionally 2- divided, branches 32 to 50 in number, rachis straight, green, 39–50 cm long, 5–7 mm in diameter, glabrescent. Primary bracts similar to the peduncle bracts, gradually diminishing in size towards the apex of the inflorescence, forming an angle of 45º–120º with the rachis, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, longer than the branches; the basal ones linear-lanceolate, pale brown, entire, apex attenuate; the apical ones lanceolate, pale brown, entire. Spikes cylindrical, 5.8–7.8 cm long, 1.6–1.8 cm wide in the middle; stipes exposed, 18–52 mm long, 3 mm in diameter, terete, glabrous, 40–50 flowered; rachis straight, 5.8–7.8 cm long. Floral bracts partially enfolding the ovaries, imbricate, suberect to forming an angle of 30º–60º with the rachis, concave, coriaceous, broadly ovate, 6.1–9.2 × 6.3–8.6 mm, castaneous, nervose, ecarinate, glabrous, entire, apex apex initially obtuse, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 1.1–4.7 mm long. Flowers forming an angle of 30º–60º with the rachis, 6.1–9.2 mm long. Calyx dorsiventrally compressed; sepals coriaceous, asymmetrical, 3–5.4 mm long, 2.6–4 mm wide at the base, the unwinged side 0.9 mm wide, the winged side 2.3 mm wide, green to castaneous, nervose, glabrous, entire, mucronate, mucro 0.5–0.8 mm long. Petals, stamens and style unknown. Ovary dorsiventrally compressed; epigynous tube 0.6–7 mm long. Fruits subovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 8.3–10 mm long, 4.9–7.3 mm in diameter, light green, glabrous. Seeds club-shaped, 2.1 × 5 mm, reddish-brown ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ).

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the occurrence of this species in Jamaica.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology:— Wittmackia jamaicana is endemic to the western region of the Cockpit Country in the Parishes of Hanover and St. James of Jamaica at 300 m elevation ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ). It grows as epiphyte at the edges of forests on limestone formations. The flowering phase of this species is unknown.

Conservation status:— Wittmackia jamaicana is categorized here as Critically Endangered (CR C2a(i), D; IUCN 2001) because it is only know from three small populations located in the western edge of the Cockpit Country, in a region surrounded by urban areas and main roads. This area is beyond the limits of the Cockpit Country, thus its protection has not been considered prioritary.

Taxonomic comments and affinities:— Despite the corollas of Wittmackia jamaicana are unknown, this species is easy to recognize by its glabrous, obtuse floral bracts bearing a long mucro, and sepals short-mucronate. Wittmackia jamaicana is similar to W. fawcettii , an endemic to the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica, but differs from this species by its stouter peduncle (10–12 mm vs. 4–9 mm in diameter); peduncle bracts serrate (vs. entire); broader inflorescence (15–25 cm vs. 7.8–12.8 cm wide), glabrous rachis (vs. sparsely floccose); longer spikes (5.8–7- 8 cm vs. 2.9–4.7 cm long), bearing more flowers (40 to 50 vs. 18 to 35 flowers per spike); glabrous floral bracts (vs. sparsely floccose), with a longer mucro (1.7–4.7 mm vs. 0.2–0.9 mm long); and shorter sepals (3–4.5 mm vs. 5.8–7 mm long).

Additional specimens examined:— JAMAICA. Hanover Parish: Mt. Peto (Alexandria), 274–304 m, 7 February 1961, Proctor et al. 22021 ( IJ!). St. James Parish: Cockpit Country , road between Marchmont and Bruce Hall, 205 m, 18º16’.22.2”N, 77º53’18.4”W, 25 June 2012, Aguirre-Santoro et al. 1810 (IJ!, NY!, US!) ; Mt. Carey district, 1 mile south of Anchovy , 200 m, 7 July 1957, Proctor 16452 (IJ!, NY [photo]) .