Cipuropsis zamorensis (L.B.Sm.) Kessous

Kessous, Igor M. & Costa, Andrea F., 2023, Novelties in “ incertae sedis ” Vriesea (Bromeliaceae: Tillandsioideae): Redescriptions, new combinations and nomenclatural revision, Phytotaxa 585 (2), pp. 71-101 : 80

1.4 Cipuropsis zamorensis (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa, comb. nov. ( Fig. 4 )

Basionym: — Tillandsia zamorensis Smith (1953: 213) . Type : — ECUADOR. Zamora : Gualaquiza route to the rio Zamora, 25 December 1948, Scolnik 1500 (holotype NY!, US [flower fragment]!).

≡ Vriesea zamorensis (L.B.Sm.) Smith (1970: 174) .

Description:—Plant epiphytic, flowering 40−45 cm high. Leaves 10−12 in number, forming an infundibuliform rosette; sheath oblong-elliptic, 7−9 × 4.5−5.5 cm, densely lepidote on both surfaces; blade linear oblong, 20–40 × 3– 3.5 cm, acuminate, green, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces. Inflorescence compound, once-branched (occasionally twice branched in culture), fertile part 30–35 cm long, erect; peduncle erect 13–22 cm long, 3.5–4.5 mm in diameter, reddish, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect, imbricate (or slightly so), narrowly triangular, apex acuminate, 30–45 × 9–12 mm, red with green apex, sparsely lepidote on both surfaces; main axis straight, 8–14 cm long, 2.7–3.3 mm in diameter, glabrous; primary bracts triangular, 30–36 × 12–15 mm, reddish, sparsely to inconspicuously lepidote on the adaxial surface, glabrous on the abaxial surface; spikes 8–12 in number, 8–10 cm long, in an angle of 20–45º to the main axis, densely 10–15 flowered, strongly complanate, with 1–2 sterile bracts at the apex; rachis geniculate, ca. 3 mm in diameter. Floral bracts ovate-oblong, apex acute, 15–20 × 7–10 mm, carinate at the apex, red or orange with yellow apex, slightly exceeded to exceeding the sepals, sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface and glabrous on the abaxial surface. Flowers 21–23 mm long, 4.5 mm apart, distichous to suberect; sepals oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, obtuse, ca. 16–18 × 4.6–6.5 mm, free or for 1 mm connate, slightly carinate at the apex, symmetric, glabrous to sparsely lepidote on the adaxial surface; petals linear oblong, apex rounded and cucullate, 17–21 × 3.1–4.5 mm, for ca. 4 mm connate, yellow; petal appendages ca. 3.5 × 0.7 mm, adnate for 1.5–4 mm to the petal base, entire, linear oblong, with acute free lobe; stamens included, exceeding the pistil; filament 8–9 mm; anther dorsifixed, ca. 4–5.2 × 0.7 mm; ovary ovoid-conical, ca. 4.3 × 2.3 mm; style ca. 10 mm long. Fruits unknown.

Distribution: —This species occurs primarily in Colombia and Ecuador, ca. 600–1,100 m above sea level.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes: —Although we did not observe the type of stigma of this species, Brown & Gilmartin (1989) mentioned Vriesea zamorensis with the stigma conduplicate-spiral, and Gouda (pers. comm.) has found the stigma to be conduplicate-erect. In the phylogeny by Barfuss et al. (2016), the species emerges as the sister-species of Cipuropsis amicorum ( Ramírez & Bevilacqua 1990: 149) Gouda (2017: 77) . However, no species of Cipuropsis has been described with these types of stigma. On the other hand, Gouda (2017) mentioned the stigma as simple-erect, weakly twisted in C. amicorum , and Brown & Gilmartin (1984) mentioned that the conduplicatespiral stigma originates from a simple-erect stigma (expansion, conduplication, and subsequent twisting of the lobes). Later, Brown & Gilmartin (1988) demonstrated that the lobe conduplication and spiraling occur early in development, whereas the lobes twist at intermediate stages, probably an autapomorphic feature in the family.

Despite the lack of reproductive characters in the specimen analyzed, we here propose the placement of this taxon in Cipuropsis , mainly because of the phylogenetic relationship found by several authors ( Barfuss et al. 2016, Kessous et al. 2020, Machado et al. 2020), type of stigma ( Brown & Gilmartin 1989, Gouda pers. comm.), linear petal appendage, and geographical distribution (northern and northwestern South America). In addition to the specimens analyzed, we used a flower dissection by E.J. Gouda at the Utrecht University Botanic Gardens (Accession: 1998GR00243). Specimens analyzed from Peru probably belong to Cipuropsis dubia .

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ zamorensis ” refers to the type locality, Zamora, Ecuador.

Representative Specimens Examined: — COLOMBIA. Putumayo, Mocoa, Serranía del Chrumbelo, sector comprendido entre la bocana del río Ponchayaco a 600 m.s.n.m. hasta las cabeceras a 1,250 m., vereda Bajo Afán. Vegetación de Portreros, bosque intervenido y borde de camino. (01°09’58.5” N- 76°37’50.0” W), 14 May 2002, Guerrero 123 ( COAH). ECUADOR. Without specific locality, s.d., fl., Rauh 17729 (US); Zamora , between Cumberaza + Zumbi, Rio Zamora + Amazona, 770 m elev., past fl., 23 February 1963, Gilmartin & Gonzalez 842 (US).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Cipuropsis zamorensis (L.B.Sm.) Kessous & A.F.Costa. Holotype, Scolnik 1500 (NY; Courtesy of the C. V. Starr Virtual Herbarium, New York Botanical Garden, http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/vh/).