Wittmackia negrilensis (Britton ex L.B.Sm.) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 636)

Aguirre-Santoro, Julián, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia (Bromeliaceae), Phytotaxa 336 (2), pp. 101-147 : 128-129

11. Wittmackia negrilensis (Britton ex L.B.Sm.) Aguirre-Santoro (2017: 636) . Basionym: Hohenbergia negrilensis Britton ex Smith (1935: 151) . TYPE:— JAMAICA. Westmoreland / Hanover Parish: Negril and vicinity, 9–12 March 1908, N.L. Britton & A. Hollick 2023 (holotype NY!)

Plant epiphytic or rupicolous, cespitose; rosette broad. Leaves coriaceous; sheaths conspicuous, oblong, pale brown, lepidote on both surfaces, serrulate, occasionally entire; blades lingulate, 13.2 cm wide at the base, 11.5–12.1 cm wide in the middle, green, smooth, lepidote abaxially, glabrescent adaxially, apex initially rounded, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro, margins serrate, the teeth evenly distributed, triangular, erect, green or castaneous, 0.2–0.4 mm long. Inflorescence erect to inclined; peduncle partially concealed by the rosette, stout, rigid, 6–7 mm in diameter, green, floccose, central internodes 2.4–5.4 cm, distal internodes 2.2–2.3 cm; peduncle bracts longer than the internodes, marcescent, membranaceous, nervose, light green, the central erect, imbricate, linear-lanceolate, 15–19 × 1.2–1.5 cm, lepidote on both surfaces, serrulate, occasionally entire, the teeth irregularly distributed along the margins, apex attenuate, the distal ones suberect, lax, linear-lanceolate, 14–17 × 0.9–1.3 cm, lepidote on both surfaces, apex attenuate, margins serrulate, occasionally entire, the teeth irregularly distributed; fertile part of the inflorescence conical, 56–57 cm long, 10.3–10.4 cm wide in the middle, 1-divided, branches 47 to 50 in number, rachis straight, green, 48 cm long, 7–8 mm in diameter, floccose. 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, 14.5–14.8 × 1–1.2 cm, light-green, lepidote, apex attenuate, margins serrulate, occasionally entire, the teeth irregularly distributed; the apical ones lanceolate, 1.2 × 0.2 cm, light green, lepidote on both surfaces, entire, apex attenuate. Spikes cylindrical, 3.8–5.8 cm long, 1.7–1.9 cm wide in the middle; stipes exposed, 2–8 mm long, 3–4 mm in diameter, terete, floccose, 50–60 flowered; rachis straight, 3.8–5.8 cm long, green. Floral bracts partially enfolding the ovaries, imbricate, forming an angle of 45º–120º with the rachis, concave, coriaceous, ovate, 3.7–5 × 4.4–5.2 mm, green, nervose, floccose-lepidote abaxially, glabrescent adaxially, entire to minutely serrulate, apex initially acute, then ending in a sharp and acuminate mucro of 4–4.2 mm long. Flowers forming an angle of 30º–60º with the rachis, 10.4–12.5 mm long. Calyx dorsiventrally compressed; sepals coriaceous, asymmetrical, 2.9–3.7 mm long, 2.2–4 mm wide at the base, the unwinged side 0.6 mm wide, the winged side 2 mm wide, green, nervose, glabrescent to sparsely floccose, mucronate, mucro 1.8–2.1 mm long. Corolla tubular, apically spreading; petals 7.4–9 × 1.4–1.7 mm, white, apex acute; petal appendages originating at 1.6 mm from the petal base. Stamens included; filaments flattened, 5.2–6.9 mm long, 0.1–0.2 mm in diameter; anthers rectangular, 2.4–2.7 × 0.4 mm, apiculate. Ovary ovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 1.9–2.4 mm long, 3.1–4.9 mm in diameter, green; epigynous tube 0.2 mm long; ovules unappendaged. Style longer than the stamens, 8.8 mm long; stigma 0.9 mm long. Fruits ovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 7.3 mm long, 4.5 mm in diameter, cream, glabrous. Seeds club-shaped, 1.9 × 0.5 mm, brown ( Fig. 13 ).

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the city of Negril in Jamaica, where the type specimen was collected.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology:— Wittmackia negrilensis is endemic to the coastal and adjacent regions of western Jamaica at 0–50 m elevation ( Fig. 2 ). It grows on forested limestone formations. Collected in flower in November.

Conservation status:— Wittmackia negrilensis is categorized here as Critically Endangered (CR B1ab(iii); IUCN 2001) because its extent of occurrence is less than 100 km 2 and includes fragmented forested areas near the western coast of Jamaica.

Taxonomic comments and affinities:— Wittmackia negrilensis resembles Wittmackia rohan-estyi because of its robust inflorescences, primary bracts much longer than the branches, long floral bract mucros, and long sepal mucros. However, W. negrilensis is different by its longer apical peduncle bracts (15–19 cm vs. 8–12.5 cm long); longer basal primary bracts (14.5–14.8 cm vs. 9–13.7 cm long); much shorter stipes (2–8 mm vs. 19–39 mm long); more numerous (50 to 60 vs. 18 to 35 flowers per spike) and shorter flowers (10–12.5 mm vs. 14–15 mm long); shorter petals (7.4–9 mm vs. 11.2 mm long); and shorter ovaries (1.9–2.4 mm vs. 3.1mm long). Specimens of W. negrilensis with short spikes are often confused with W. penduliflora . However, these species are easily separated because W. negrilensis has basal primary bracts at least twice as long as the branches, while these bracts are shorter to slightly longer than the branches in W. penduliflora .

Additional specimens examined:— JAMAICA. Hanover Parish: 6 January 1891, Hitchcock s.n. (US!) . Westmoreland Parish: 1 mile northwest of Savanna-La-Mar, 15 m, 17 November 1955, Proctor 11109 ( IJ!) ; 1/ 2 mile northwest of New Broughton , 8 m, 18 November 1955, Proctor 11147 ( IJ!) ; Spring Garden District , 45 m, 20 November 1955, Proctor 11209 ( IJ!) ; vicinity of Bloody Bay , 0 m, 4–6 October 1999, Proctor 51582 ( IJ!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Geographic distribution of the Caribbean-endemic species of Wittmackia. A. Species occurring in Jamaica and Cuba, and species endemic to the western Caribbean. Star: W. caymanensis, triangle: W. mesoamericana, circle: W. penduliflora. B. Species endemic to Puerto Rico. Star: W. portoricensis, circle: W. antillana. C. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. laesslei, triangle: W. negrilensis, star: W. polycephala.D. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. rohan-estyi, triangle: W. spinulosa, star: W. urbaniana. E. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. fawcettii, triangle: W. jamaicana, star: W. inermis. F. Species endemic to Jamaica. Circle: W. abbreviata, star: W. distans, square: W. eriostachya.

FIGURE 13. Wittmackia negrilensis. A. General habit of the plant. B. Infructescence. C. part of the infructescence showing two spikes with their stipes. D. Sepals. E. Seed. (A–C: Plant in cultivation at Hope Botanical Gardens, Jamaica; D–E: Britton 2023. Photos of living specimens: J. Aguirre-Santoro).