Neoregelia dactyloflammans Leme & L.Kollmann, 2011

Leme, Elton M. C. & Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., 2011, New species and a new combination of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 16 (1), pp. 1-36 : 17-18

Neoregelia dactyloflammans Leme & L.Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 5 , C-D, 6, O-S)

A Neoregelia chlorosticta , cui similis, laminis foliorum haud maculatis, subtus albovittatis, apice manifeste abrupte flammeis et petalis longioribus differt; a N. simulans , cui verosimiliter, laminis foliorum apice abrupte flammeis, bracteis involucrantibus altitudinem sepalorum distincte brevioribus, bracteis floriferis brevioribus, atrorubris et petalis distincte longioribus, per anthesin suberectis recedit.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Muqui, Fazenda Malabar, 6 June 2009, Leme 7878 (holotype RB, isotype MBML) .

Plant rupicolous, propagating by suberect, 3–5 × 0.6–0.7 cm stolons. Leaves 12 to 15 in number, suberect before and at anthesis, forming at the base a narrow funnelform rosette; sheaths narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly ovate-elliptic, densely pale lepidote to white lepidote on both sides, whitish colored at the base and red-vinaceous toward the apex adaxially, coriaceous, 10–11 × 4.5–4.8 cm; blades sublinear, slightly narrowed toward the the base, 20–30 × 2.7–3.2 cm, inconspicuously white lepidote adaxially, with the trichomes not obscuring the blade color, abaxially densely white lepidote with the trichomes forming irregular narrow white crossbands, coriaceous, green to reddish mainly toward the base, apex acuminate bright red for 2.0– 3.5 cm in a striking contrast to the green or reddish color of the blades, margins subdensely spinose near the apex (spines 3–7 mm apart), and laxly spinose toward the base (spines 10–15 mm apart), spines ca. 0.5 mm long, triangular, antrorse-uncinate. Peduncle ca. 5.5 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diameter, glabrous, white; peduncle bracts suborbicular, broadly acute to obtuse and apiculate, the basal ones spinulose near the apex, the upper ones entire, sparsely white lepidote toward the apex to glabrescent, thin in texture, nerved, white (basal ones) to red (upper ones), the upper ones slightly involucral, broadly oblong-ovate, obtuse and apiculate, 25–28 × 15–18 cm, to equaling the ovaries. Inflorescence subglobose-capitate or subcorymbose, simple, sunk in the center of the rosette but the sepals equaling the leaf sheaths, apex nearly flat, ca. 4 cm long (excluding the petals), ca. 3 cm in diameter at the apex, densely flowered; floral bracts the outer ones resembling the involucral bracts, the inner ones linear, ecarinate, apex obtuse to obtuse-emarginate and minutely apiculate, sometimes cuculate, remotely denticulate-crenulate near the apex to entire, sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote to glabrous, membranaceous, nerved, dark red, 25–28 × 5–8 mm, reaching 2/5 to 1/2 of sepal length. Flowers ca. 22 in number, 55–60 mm long (with extended petals), odorless, pedicels 5–8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, slightly complanate, white, glabrous; sepals broadly obovate-elliptic, obtuse, strongly asymmetric with the lateral wing distinctly shorter than the apex, 15–16 × 11 mm, connate at the base for ca. 2.5 mm, entire, ecarinate, bright red, membranaceous, glabrous; petals narrowly subspathulate, acuminate, 39–40 × 6.5–7.0 mm, connate at the base for 16–17 mm, white except for the lilac-purple apical third, bearing 2 longitudinal callosities equaling the anthers apex; filaments the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 18 mm, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petal tube and free above it; anthers sublinear, 4–5 mm long, dorsifixed at 1/3 of their length above the base, base obtuse, apex obtuse and minutely apiculate; pollen subglobose, biporate, pores small, exine reticulate, lumina polygonal, muri narrowed; stigma conduplicate-spiral, narrowly ellipsoid-subclindrical, white, margins lacerate; ovary subcylindrical, 11 × 5–6 mm in diameter, terete, white, glabrous; placentation median; ovules many, obtuse; epigynous tube infundibuliform ca. 2.5 mm long. Fruits known.

Distribution and habitat:— Neoregelia dactyloflammans is known from the type locality only. It was found as a rupicole in the hygrophilous Atlantic Forest of the southern region of the state of Espírito Santo.

Etymology:—The name chosen for N. dactyloflammans was inspired by the vivid red color of the apex of its leaves, reminding “flaming fingers”, so based on the Greek “ dactylos ” (= finger) and “ flammans ” (= shining like a flame).

Observations:— Neoregelia dactyloflammans is similar to N. chlorosticta (Baker) L.B.Sm. (1964:486) , differing from it by the leaf blades without spots, with white crossbands on the abaxial surface and having an abruptly bright red colored leaf apex, and by longer petals (39–40 mm vs. 24–33 mm long). On the other hand, based on the amended description of N. simulans L.B.Sm. (1967:187) provided by Pereira & Leme (1985), this new taxon appears to be similar to that species, but the distinguishing features are: leaf blades with an abruptly bright red colored apex (vs. apex with a red spot only), involucral bracts distinctly shorter than the sepals (vs. about equaling the sepal length), shorter floral bracts (25–28 mm vs. ca. 35 mm long), which are dark red (vs. green with red spots), and by the distinctly longer petals (39–40 mm vs. 27 mm long).

Figures

FIGURE 5. A–B. Hohenbergia loredanoana (Leme 8193). A. Habit. B. Floral detail. C–D. Neoregelia dactyloflammans (Leme 7878). C. Habit. D. Floral details.