Hechtia pacifica Hern.- Cardenas , Flores-Arg., Espejo, Lopez-Ferr . & Rosales, 2024

Flores-Argueelles, Alejandra, Hernandez-Cardenas, Rodrigo Alejandro, Rosales-Martinez, Santiago, Espejo-Serna, Adolfo, Lopez-Ferrari, Ana Rosa & Siekkinen, Andrew, 2024, Two new species of Hechtia (Bromeliaceae; Hechtioideae) from Jalisco, Mexico, Plant Ecology and Evolution 157 (1), pp. 20-31 : 20

Hechtia pacifica Hern.- Cardenas, Flores-Arg., Espejo, Lopez-Ferr. & Rosales sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4

Type.

Mexico - Jalisco • La Huerta, La Manzanilla ; 19°16 ’43.64” N, 104°47 ’32.97” W; 11 m, 20 Jul. 2022; R. Hernández-Cárdenas, A. Flores-Argüelles & S. Lara-Godínez 2625 ♀; holotype: UAMIZ [8 sheets: UAMIZ90034, UAMIZ90035, UAMIZ90036, UAMIZ90037, UAMIZ90038, UAMIZ90039, UAMIZ90040, UAMIZ90041]; isotype: IBUG .

Diagnosis.

This new species is similar to H. reticulata differing in the length of the staminate inflorescence (150-170 vs 190-210 cm), the indument of its peduncle (glabrous vs sparsely lepidote), the shape of its petals (ovate to widely ovate vs oblong); the number of the primary spikes of the pistillate inflorescence (60-75 vs 30-40), and the shape of its petals (narrowly oblong vs lanceolate).

Description.

Plants saxicolous, in flower 170-300 cm tall, rosettes 20-35 cm tall, 50-60 cm diameter, solitary or forming clumps of 3-6 rosettes. Leaves 20-30, recurved towards the apex; sheaths whitish-brown to yellowish-white, depressed ovate, 5-6 cm long, 6.5-8.5 cm wide, with minute marginal sharp teeth, glabrous near the base and lepidote distally on both surfaces; blades purplish-green to yellowish-green, brownish-yellow when dry, narrowly triangular, 50-70 cm long, 4.5-5.5 cm wide at the base, long attenuate, lepidote on the abaxial surface, glabrous on the adaxial surface, margin with divaricate to ascending sharp teeth, yellowish-brown, 5-7 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, 1-1.5 cm apart. Inflorescences terminal, erect, once branched in staminate and pistillate plants. Staminate inflorescence 150-170 cm tall; peduncle green brown, brown when dry, terete, 0.9-1.1 cm diameter, glabrous, internodes 4-7 cm long; peduncle bracts brown, greyish-brown when dry, foliaceous, sheaths triangular, 0.5-1 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, hyaline at the margin, only the basal ones with linear blades, 1-18 cm long, 0.3-0.8 cm wide, lepidote on both surfaces, entire, the basal ones larger than the internodes, the upper ones shorter; primary bracts brown in living and dry material, triangular, 0.9-2 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm wide when extended, caudate, entire and hyaline at the margin, glabrous on both surfaces; primary spikes 35-55, terete, 8-17 cm long, 1.2-1.5 cm in diameter; floral bracts purplish-brown, brown when dry, widely ovate to very widely ovate, 3-3.3 mm long, 2.7-3 mm wide, longer than the pedicels, apiculate, entire to erose at the margin, glabrous on both surfaces. Staminate flowers numerous; pedicels 0.6-1 mm long; sepals greenish-pink, whitish-brown when dry, widely elliptic, 2.7-3 mm long, 2.5-2.8 mm wide, obtuse, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; petals white, brownish-white when dry, ovate to widely ovate, 5.7-6 mm long, 4.3-4.5 mm wide, obtuse at the apex, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; stamens equal in length; filaments white, narrowly oblong, flattened, 5-5.3 mm long; anthers rose, brown when dry, oblong, 1.5-1.8 mm long, versatile; pistillode conspicuous, purple cream, brown when dry, glabrous. Pistillate inflorescence 235-265 cm long; peduncle purplish-brown, brown when dry, terete, 0.9-1.1 cm in diameter, glabrous, internodes 2-6 cm long; peduncle bracts brownish-purple, brown when dry, sheaths triangular, 0.3-0.6 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, hyaline at the margin, only the basal ones with linear blades, 1-5 cm long, 0.1-0.3 cm wide, lepidote on both surfaces, entire, the basal ones larger than the internodes, the upper ones shorter; primary bracts brown in living and dry material, triangular, 1.2-2 cm long, 0.4-0.5 cm wide when extended, caudate, entire and hyaline at the margin, glabrous on both surfaces; primary spikes 60-75, terete, 10-20 cm long, 0.7-1 cm in diameter; floral bracts brownish-green, brown when dry, widely ovate, 2.9-3.3 mm long, 2.6-3 mm wide, longer than the pedicels, acute, entire to erose at the margin, glabrous on both surfaces. Pistillate flowers numerous; pedicels 1-1.5 mm long; sepals brown with purple spots, brown when dry, ovate, 2.9-3.3 mm long, 2.1-2.5 mm wide, acute, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; petals white, brown when dry, narrowly oblong to narrowly triangular, 6.1-6.5 mm long, 2.2-2.6 mm wide, obtuse to acute, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; staminodes rudimentary, white, narrowly triangular, 3.3-3.6 mm long; ovary superior, purplish-green, brown when dry, oblong, 3.8-4.2 mm long, 1.8-2.2 mm diameter, glabrous; stylar branches purple, brown when dry, recurved, slender, 2-2.4 mm long, stigma papillose. Capsules green, brown when dry, ovoid, 8.7-11.3 mm long, 4.5-5 mm in diameter, with prominent longitudinal ridges or creases, glabrous; seeds reddish-brown, fusiform, 4-6 mm long, caudate.

Distribution, habitat, and ecology.

Hechtia pacifica is known so far from the type locality in the municipality of La Huerta, in the Pacific Lowlands biogeographic province (Fig. 3 ). It grows on northwest-facing rocky slopes exposed to sea breeze in tropical deciduous forest. Hechtia pacifica forms large colonies along with Cascabela ovata (Cav.) Lippold, Tabernaemontana sp., Mammillaria sp., and other species at low elevations from near sea level to 11 m.

Phenology.

The plants of H. pacifica bloom in July and set fruit in August.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the proximity of populations of this species to the Pacific Ocean.

Additional material examined.

MEXICO - Jalisco • La Huerta, La Manzanilla ; 19°16 ’43.64” N, 104°47 ’32.97” W; 11 m; 20 Jul. 2022; R. Hernández-Cárdenas, A. Flores-Argüelles & S. Lara-Godínez 2624 ♂; UAMIZ, IBUG .

Notes.

Hechtia pacifica shares some similarities with H. reticulata including the floral bracts of the staminate inflorescence (longer than the pedicels); and the pistillate inflorescence (once branched). However, H. pacifica differs from H. reticulata in the length of the leaf sheath (5-6 vs 7-10 cm), in the length of the staminate floral bracts (3.0-3.3 vs 3.8-4.2 mm), in the size of its petals (5.7-6 × 4.3-4.5 vs 4.5-4.8 × 3.1-3.5 mm); in the shape of the pistillate floral bracts (widely ovate vs triangular), and in the size of its petals (6.1-6.5 × 2.2-2.6 vs 4.2-4.8 × 1.6-2.0 mm), in addition to the characters cited in the diagnosis. For other details, see also Table 1 .

Figures

Figure 3. Distribution map of Hechtia chamelensis, H. costalegrensis, H. ibugana, H. iltisii, H. jaliscana, H. laevis, H. pacifica, H. pedicellata, H. reticulata, H. santanae, and H. subalata. Biogeographic provinces according to Morrone et al. (2017).

Figure 4. Hechtia pacifica. A - C. Plants at the type locality. D. Detail of the rosettes. E. Detail of the staminate spike. E. Detail of the staminate spike. F. Detail of the pistillate spike. G. Staminate flower. G 1. Floral bract. G 2. Sepals. G 3. Petals. G 4. Stamens. H. Pistillate flower. H 1. Floral bract. H 2. Sepals. H 3. Petals. H 4. Pistil. Photographs A-F by Alejandra Flores-Argueelles; G-H by Rodrigo Hernandez-Cardenas.