Tillandsia tequilana Hern.

Hernández-Cárdenas, Rodrigo Alejandro, Flores-Argüelles, Alejandra, Espejo-Serna, Adolfo, López-Ferrari, Ana Rosa, Carranza-Rodríguez, Juan Carlos & Lara-Godínez, Sofía Ana Lucrecia, 2024, Tillandsia tequilana (Tillandsioideae; Bromeliaceae), a new saxicolous species from Jalisco, Mexico, Phytotaxa 659 (2), pp. 105-111 : 107-109

Tillandsia tequilana Hern. -Cárdenas, Flores-Arg., Espejo & López-Ferr., sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 , 3 . Table 1 )

The new species is similar to Tillandsia aguascalientensis but differs in the shape (triangular to ovate vs. elliptic) and size of the leaf sheath (4.0–5.0 × 3.0–3.5 vs. 7.0–12 × 4.0–7.0 cm), in the shape (narrowly oblong vs. elliptic) and width (1.0–1.5 vs. 2.5–4.0 cm) of the spikes, in the shape (oblong to elliptic vs. lanceolate) and size (2.5–3.2 × 1.2–1.5 vs. 3.9–4.2 × 1.5–2.0 cm) of the floral bracts, and in the width of the sepals (0.4–0.5 vs. 0.9–1.1 cm).

TYPE:— MÉXICO. Jalisco: municipio de Tequila. Acantilados del cerro Chiquihuitillo (20°55’14”N, 103°49’14.7”W), 1,120 m, October 16, 2023, R. Hernández-Cárdenas, A. Flores-Argüelles, S. Lara-Godínez & J. Carranza 2765 (holotype UAMIZ! (5x), isotypes IBUG!, MEXU!, XAL!).

Plants saxicolous, in flower 60–80 cm tall; rosettes acaulescent, falcate, 50–70 cm high, 15–25 cm in diameter, solitary or forming clumps of three to five rosettes. Leaves more than 20; sheath pale brown to pale yellow on both surfaces, triangular to ovate, 4.0–5.0 cm long, 3.0– 3.5 cm wide, lepidote on both surfaces, not differentiate from the blade; blade pale green to gray, narrowly triangular, 50–70 cm long, 2.0–3.0 cm wide, long attenuate, densely cinereous-lepidote on both surfaces. Inflorescence terminal, erect, once branched, with 13–16 appressed to ascending spikes; peduncle pale green to pale yellow, terete, 18–25 cm long, 0.4–0.8 cm in diameter, glabrous, fully covered by the sheaths of the peduncle bracts, internodes 1.5–3.5 cm; peduncle bracts pale green to gray, foliaceous, gradually decreasing in size distally, exceeding the internodes, lepidote on both surfaces, imbricate; axis pale green to pale yellow, terete, 15–25 cm long, 0.3–0.5 cm in diameter, glabrous, internodes 1.0–3.0 cm long; primary bracts pale yellow with rose, pale brown to gray when dry, the sheath ovate, 3.0–5.0 cm long, 1.0–2.0 cm wide, the blade triangular to linear, gradually decreasing in size distally, the blade of the lower one exceeding the spike, the distal ones shorter than the spike, glabrous near the base and lepidote distally on both surfaces. Spikes distichously 4–8-flowered, flattened, narrowly oblong, 7.0– 10.5 cm long, 1.0– 1.5 cm wide; stipes terete, 1.0– 2.5 cm long, 0.3–0.4 cm in diameter, glabrous, bracteate; stipe bracts 1–2, ovate, 1.5–2.0 cm long, 0.8–1.0 cm wide, hyaline at the margin, lepidote on both surfaces, nerved, carinate; rachis green, pale brown when dry, terete, 1.0– 1.5 mm in diameter, covered by the floral bracts, internodes 4.0–8.0 mm long; floral bracts green at the base, rose to pale red toward the apex and green at the margin when fresh, brown to pale yellow when dry, oblong to elliptic, 2.5–3.2 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm wide, over four times longer than the internodes, exceeding the sepals, imbricate, acute, lepidote adaxially, glabrous abaxially to lepidote at the apex, nerved, carinate toward the apex. Flowers 6.0– 6.5 cm long, appressed to the rachis, actinomorphic; corolla tubular, more slender at the base; receptacle 1.0– 1.5 mm long; sepals green at the base, pale yellow with rose toward the apex, narrowly oblong, 20–26 mm long, 4.0–5.0 mm wide, acute, hyaline at the margin, the adaxial ones carinate, connate for 15–17 mm, the abaxial one ecarinate; petals white toward the base, violet in upper (exposed) part, narrowly oblanceolate to spathulate, 45–50 mm long, 8.0– 10 mm wide, rounded at the apex, the apical margin slightly recurved, free, corolla apex constraining the filaments; stamens subequal, exserted; filaments free, twisted, white toward the base, violet distally, flat at the base, widening toward the apex, filiform, fleshy and subterete in the distal part, 47–55 mm long, 10–10.1 mm wide; anthers black, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 2.7–3.0 mm long, 1.0– 1.3 mm wide, sub-basifixed; ovary green, narrowly conic to narrowly ovoid, 4.0–5.0 mm long, 2.5–3.0 mm in diameter; style white toward the base, violet distally, filiform, 5.0– 5.5 cm long, 1.0– 1.2 mm wide, equaling to exceeding the stamens; stylar branches light green, conduplicate-spiral, ca. 2 mm long. Capsules green, pale yellow when dry, oblong, 2.0– 2.5 cm long, 0.5–0.8 cm in diameter; seeds pale brown, fusiform, 3–4 mm long; coma 1.0– 1.3 cm long.

Distribution and habitat: — Tillandsia tequilana is so far known only from the type locality at the foothills of the mountain Chiquihuitillo, in the municipality of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco ( Fig. 3 ) that pertains to the biogeographic province of the Pacific Lowlands (according to Morrone et al. 2017). The new species grows saxicolous on vertical rock walls with a predominant vegetation of tropical deciduous forest (according to Rzedowski 1978), with the presence of Hechtia jaliscana Smith (1964: 482) , Sideroxylon capiri Pittier (1912: 462) , and Tillandsia capitata Grisebach (1866: 255) , and species of Bursera Jacq. ex L., Lysiloma Benth. , and Tradescantia L. Tillandsia tequilana grows at elevations between 1,060 and 1,130 m a.s.l. and blooms from September to October.

Etymology: —Specific epithet refers to the municipality of Tequila, Jalisco, where the new species was discovered.

Paratypes: — MÉXICO. Jalisco: municipio Tequila. Acantilados del cerro Chiquihuitillo (20°55’14.0”N, 103°49’14.7”W), 1,120 m, October 16, 2023, R. Hernández-Cárdenas, A. Flores-Argüelles, S. Lara-Godínez & J. Carranza 2773 (UAMIZ).

Observations: —The new species can be easily recognized by the rosette shape (falcate), the size (4.0–5.0 × 3.0– 3.5 cm) and shape (triangular to ovate) of the leaf sheath, the indument of the leaf blade (densely cinereous-lepidote), the wide (1.0– 1.5 cm) and shape (narrowly oblong) of the spikes, the shape (oblong to elliptic) and size (2.5–3.2 × 1.2–1.5 cm) of the floral bracts, and also for its bloom season (September to October). Tillandsia tequilana also shares some similarities with T. moronesensis and T. schusteri . However, T. tequilana differs from T. moronesensis in the shape of the rosette (falcate vs. infundibuliform), in the shape of the leaf sheath (triangular to ovate vs. elliptic), in the number of the spikes (13–16 vs. 15–13), in the width of the spike (1.0–1.5 vs. 2.0– 2.4 cm), in the shape of the sepals (narrowly oblong vs. lanceolate), and in the flowering time (September to October vs. March). Tillandsia tequilana differs from T. schusteri in the shape of the rosette (falcate vs. infundibuliform), in the number of the spikes (13–16 vs. 4–6), in the length of the spike (7.0–10.5 vs. ca. 14 cm), in the color of the petals (violet vs. yellow with green), and in the flowering time (September to October vs. May), see also Table 1 .

aguascalientensis Gardner , T. moronesensis Ehlers , and T. schusteri Rauh.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Tillandsia tequilana Hern.-Cárdenas, Flores-Arg., Espejo & López-Ferr.A. Cliffs of the cerro Chiquihuitillo. B–C. Plants at type locality. D. Detail of the inflorescences. (Photographs by R. Hernández-Cárdenas).

FIGURE 2. Tillandsia tequilana Hern.-Cárdenas, Flores-Arg., Espejo & López-Ferr. A. Detail of the spikes. B. Flower. C. Floral bract. D. Sepals. E. Petals. F. Stamens. G. Pistil. H. Fruit. (Photographs by R. Hernández-Cárdenas).

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Tillandsia tequilana Hern.-Cárdenas, Flores-Arg., Espejo & López-Ferr., T. aguascalientensis Gardner, T. moronesensis Ehlers, and T. schusteri Rauh.