Cryptanthus solidadeanus Leme & E.H. Souza, 2021

Souza, Everton Hilo De & Leme, Elton M. C., 2021, New Cryptanthus species (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil, Phytotaxa 523 (2), pp. 179-191 : 188-190

4. Cryptanthus solidadeanus Leme & E.H. Souza , sp. nov. ( Fig. 6 A–G )

Diagnosis:—This new species can be distinguished from its morphologically closest relative Cryptanthus bibarrensis , by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. ca. 30 cm long), leaves arcuate to strongly recurved (vs. spreading to slightly recurved), sepal lobes oblongovate, ca. 3.5 mm wide (vs. broadly elliptic to suborbicular, ca. 5 mm wide), and petals higher connate at the base for ca. 10 mm (vs. 4–5 mm).

Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Brejões, Distrito de Serrana, Fazenda Camaçari , Mata Camaçari , 875 m elevation, 13º 07’ 14.5” S, 39º 53’ 04.3” W, 18 June 2017, E.H. Souza 327 & M.S.O. Santos (holotype HURB!, isotypes RB!, SEL!) .

Description:— Plants terrestrial, long caulescent, 25–60 cm high when in bloom, stem prostrate except for the erect or suberect distal portion, usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their recurved leaves, propagating by elongate axillary shoots. Leaves 15–22 in number, arcuate to strongly recurved at anthesis, subdensely to laxly arranged along the stem; sheath subtrapeziform, ca. 3.5 × 2.5 cm, greenish to bronze colored at distal end, densely lepidote and corrugate abaxially, glabrescent adaxially; blade narrowly sublinear lanceolate, apex acuminate, slenderly caudate, slightly narrowed toward the base but not pseudopetiolate, 27–35 × 1.7–2 cm, coriaceous, distinctly canaliculate, greenish to dull reddish-bronze colored, thicker median channel absent, abaxially densely and coarsely white lepidote of trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially glabrous, margins undulate, densely spinulose; spines triangular, antrorsely uncinate, greenish to reddish, ca. 0.5 mm long, 2–4 mm apart. Inflorescence sessile, corymbose, ca. 3.5 cm long, ca. 2 cm in diameter at the apex, once branched at the base and bearing an inconspicuous simple central portion of staminate flowers surrounded by ca. 5 flower fascicles; primary bracts resembling the leaves; flower fascicles with ca. 2 flowers, complanate, ca. 21 × 10 mm (excluding the petals); floral bracts in the fascicles narrowly subtriangularlanceolate, obtuse, 14–16 × 4–5 mm, membranaceous, hyaline toward the margins, brown near the apex, sparsely lepidote mainly toward the apex with fimbriate trichomes including the margins, entire or remotely denticulate at the apex, about equalling 1/3 of sepal length, carinate. Flowers sessile, the perfect ones ca. 38 mm long (with the petals extended), the staminate ones ca. 34 mm long (with the petals extended); sepals 12–14 mm long, equally connate for ca. 6 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely lepidote mainly toward the apex, brown; the lobes oblong-ovate, acute, 5–7 × 3.5 mm, symmetrical, obtusely carinate, margins entire to inconspicuously crenulate; petals narrowly spathulate, apex rounded, white, exceeding the stamens but spreading-recurved at anthesis and exposing them; those of the perfect flowers 31–32 × 6–6.5 mm, connate at the base for ca. 10 mm, bearing 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities at the base of the free lobes; filaments ca. 22 mm long, the antesepalous ones adnate for ca. 10 mm to the petal-tube and free above it, the antepetalous adnate to the petals for ca. 12 mm; anthers ca. 3 mm long, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, base bilobed, apex narrowly obtuse; ovary narrowly obovoid, trigonous, ca. 9 × 5 mm, white, glabrous; stigma conduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 3 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide, white, margins scalloped, without papillae; epigynous tube lacking; placentation apical; ovules few, obtuse. Fruits not seen.

Distribution, habitat and conservation:—As a terrestrial species, C. solidadeanus was found growing on the shaded forest floor in a semi-deciduous forest fragment between 850 and 900 meter elevation, known as Mata Camaçari, in the district of Serrana, county of Brejões, Bahia state ( Fig. 1 and 2 D ). Its population is composed of medium-sized groups of individuals more or less sparsely distributed in the area with a population estimated of ca. 500 individuals.

The original vegetation of the region was almost completely destroyed by agricultural activity, especially coffee plantation and very few forest fragments remained. Currently, the small forest fragment where this species was discovered is seriously threatened by logging, clearing for agropastoral activities, agriculture of monocultures. The GeoCAT (Bachmann et al. 2011) estimated the extent of the occurrence of C. solidadeanus as about 0.179 km 2, while its area of occupancy is about 12.000 Km² (AOO), so indicating this species as critically endangered (CR), according to the criteria adopted by IUCN (2020).

Etymology:—The specific epithet honors the local conservationist Maria da Solidade Oliveira da Silva, known as Soly, who called our attention to the high biodiversity in the forest fragments of the Distrito de Serrana, now under serious threat by the expansion of agricultural and cattle breeding activities.

Additional specimen examined (paratypes):— BRAZIL. Bahia: Brejões, Distrito de Serrana , 13° 06’ 15.8” S, 39° 47’ 44.9” W, 7 December 2017, L.Y.S. Aona, E. Hilo, S. Oliveira & R. Pontes 4618 (holotype HURB!); 845 m elevation, 13° 07’ 14.9” S, 39° 53’ 02.2” W, 20 February 2019, E. Leme 9589, E.H. de Souza, F. Vidigal & M.S.O. da Silva (isotype RB!) .

Observations:— Cryptanthus solidadeanus is morphologically closely related to C. bibarrensis Leme (2002a: 86) , a species known from the county of Itapetinga, state of Bahia, about 240 km distant, in straight line, to the type locality of the new species. However, this new species differs from it by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. ca. 30 cm long) and prostrate habit, with the erect or suberect distal portion usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their arcuate to strongly recurved leaves (vs. not at all prostrate, with spreading to slightly recurved leaves), leaf blades dull green colored adaxially (vs. lustrous green), flowers shorter (ca. 38 mm vs. ca. 45 mm long), sepal lobes oblongovate and narrower (ca. 3.5 mm wide vs. broadly elliptic to suborbicular, ca. 5 mm wide), and petals highly connate at the base for ca. 10 mm (vs. short connate for 4–5 mm).

On the other hand, C. solidadeanus , which occurs about 100 km from the coast, can be compared to C. sergipensis Ramírez (1998: 219) , found growing in coastal sandy soils in Restinga habitats, not more than 15 km from the ocean, in the state of Sergipe and at neighboring areas in the state of Bahia. In spite of some morphological similarities, this new species clearly differs from it by its distinct longer stem (to 60 cm vs. 12–35 cm long) and prostrate habit, with the erect or suberect distal portion usually climbing up in the lower bushes by means of their arcuate to strongly recurved leaves (vs. not at all prostrate, with spreading to slightly recurved leaves), flowers longer (ca. 38 mm vs. 30–32 mm long), sepal longer (12–14 mm vs. 9–11 mm) with longer lobes (5–7 mm vs. 3–4 mm), and petals longer (ca. 32 mm vs. 19– 22 mm) and connate at the base for ca. 10 mm (vs. 3–4 mm).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of four new species of the Cryptanthus (C. flesherii, C. lutandensis, C. santosii and C. solidadeanus).

FIGURE 2. A. General view of Atlantic Forest at the type locality of Cryptanthus flesherii from Igrapiuna, Bahia, Brazil. B. General view of rocky outcrop vegetation of an inselberg at the type locality of Cryptanthus lutandensis from Serra da Fumaça, Pindobaçu, Bahia, Brazil. C. General view of Restinga at the type locality of Cryptanthus santosii from Belmonte, Bahia, Brazil. D. General view of Semideciduous Forest fragment at the type locality of Cryptanthus solidadeanus from Serrana District, Brejões, Bahia, Brazil. Photos = A. L.Y.S.Aona; B, D. E.H. Souza; C. J.E. Santos

FIGURE 6. Cryptanthus solidadeanus from Serrana District, Brejões, Bahia, Brazil: A. Small group of plants at the type locality. B. Leaf. C. Habit. D. Details of perfect flower. E. Inflorescence with staminate and perfect flowers. F. Petal and stamen. G. Conduplicate-patent stigma type. Bars = B. 2 cm; C. 35 cm; D–F. 6 mm; G. 4 mm. Photos by E.H. Souza