Aechmea gregaria Leme & L. Kollmann, 2014

Leme, Elton M. C., Till, Walter, Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., De Moura, Ricardo L. & Ribeiro, Otávio B. C., 2014, Miscellaneous New Species of Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 177 (2), pp. 61-100 : 66-67

Aechmea gregaria Leme & L. Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 , 3 E–I )

This new species differs from Aechmea ituberaensis by comparatively long stolons (20–45 cm vs. ca. 7 cm long), a higher number of leaves per rosette (20–28 vs. ca. 7), larger leaf blades (60–102 × 5.7–6.2 cm vs. 40–75 × 2.8–4.3 cm) with subdensely spinose margins (vs. entire), larger inflorescence (20 × 4.5–5.5 cm vs. 11–12 × 3 cm), longer flowers (2.7–3.2 cm vs. ca. 2 cm), which are fragrant (vs. odorless), larger sepals (11–12 × 8–9 mm vs. ca. 9 × 5 mm) with a longer apical mucro (2–3 mm vs. ca. 1.5 mm long) and the larger petals (18–20 × 5 mm vs. ca. 12 × 3 mm).

Type: –– BRAZIL. Bahia: Nilo Peçanha near the border with Ituberá, APA Pratigi , Faz. Barra dos Carvalhos, 8 m elevation, 13º 41’ 49” S 30º 59’ 20” W, 7 June 2013, E . Leme 8761, L . Kollmann & P . Lima (holotype RB!, isotype HB!) .

Plants terrestrial, flowering 75–80 cm tall, stoloniferous; stolons 20–45 × 0.8–1.5 cm, rigid, bearing dark castaneous cataphylls with spinose margins toward the base. Leaves 20–28 in number, rosulate, arcuate, coriaceous, forming a funnelform rosette; sheaths elliptic, 15–17 × 9.5 cm, dark castaneous on both sides toward the base, densely and minutely brown-lepidote on both sides; blades sublinear, slightly narrowed toward the base, 60–102 × 5.7–6.2 cm, green, inconspicuously white lepidote on both sides, apex acute to long mucronate, margins subdensely spinose (6–11 mm apart) except for the densely spinose base and apex (here 1–3 mm apart); spines narrowly triangular, 1–2.2 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide at the base, castaneous toward the apex, antrorsely uncinate. Peduncle erect, ca. 27 cm long, 0.9–1 cm in diameter, green, subdensely white lanate; peduncle bracts narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 5–6 × 1–1.6 cm, erect, distinctly nerved, sparsely to subdensely spinulose on the margins, densely white lepidote mainly toward the base, with fimbriate trichomes, distinctly exceeding the internodes, narrow and partly exposing the peduncle, thin in texture, straw-colored. Inflorescence simple, cylindrical, shorter than the leaves, erect, 20 × 4.5–5.5 cm (excluding the petals); main axis 0.6–1 cm in diameter, straight, subangulate, green, subdensely whitish to castaneous lepidote with fimbriate trichomes; floral bracts subtriangular-lanceolate to broadly ovate, 10–20 × 6–10 mm, acuminate-caudate, the basal ones equaling to slightly shorter than the sepals, the upper ones slightly shorter than the ovary, suberect to spreading with the flowers, thin in texture (paleaceous), entire, distinctly nerved, ecarinate, densely pale castaneous lepidote at the base and white lepidote toward the apex of fimbriate trichomes. Flowers 40–55 in number, subdensely and polystichously arranged, sessile, 2.7–3.2 cm long, fragrant, in an internal angle of 45° with the main axis to nearly spreading at anthesis; sepals distinctly asymmetrical, 11–12 × 8–9 mm, the lateral membranaceous rounded wing nearly equaling the mucro, green except for the white-hyaline lateral wing, sparsely and minutely white to palecastaneous lepidote, ecarinate, connate at the base for 2–3 mm, apex mucronulate with a mucro of 2–3 mm long; petals narrowly subspathulate, 18–20 × 5 mm, free, white, suberect to recurved, without any appendage, bearing 2 conspicuous linear callosities about equaling the anthers; filaments 6–7 mm long, terete, white, the antesepalous ones free, the antepetalous ones basally adnate to the petals for 3–5 mm; anthers 5–6 mm long, dorsifixed slightly below the middle, white, base distinctly bilobed, apex caudate; stigma conduplicate-spiral, cylindrical, white, blades ca. 5 mm long, margins minutely crenulate; ovary obovoid, ca. 12 mm long, ca. 7 mm in diameter at the apex, subdensely to sparsely and minutely castaneously lepidote; epigynous tube funnelform, ca. 3 mm long; placentation apical; ovules obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:–– Aechmea gregaria grows at sea level in coastal areas, within well-conserved “islands” of shrubby vegetation scattered in large rolling flat lands of Restinga, in the county of Nilo Peçanha near the border with Ituberá, Bahia. It grows on the shaded forest floor, forming large and dense groups of plants propagated by long stolons. Despite the well-conserved condition of the vegetation at the type locality, it being protected as private property, part of the area will be soon transformed into a tourist resort, which may adversely affect the future survival of the local biota.

According to the criteria “B1a” and “B2a” adopted by IUCN (2010), A. gregaria is considered as a critically endangered species.

Etymology:–– From the Latin word gregarius (meaning “sociable”, “living in colonies”), is a reference to its extensive and dense population at the type locality.

Observations:–– Aechmea gregaria is closely related to the recently described A. ituberaensis Leme & Kollmann (2013: 2) , differing by its comparatively long stolons (20–45 cm vs. ca. 7 cm), the higher number of leaves per rosette (20–28 vs. ca. 7), larger leaf blades (60–102 × 5.7–6.2 cm vs. 40–75 × 2.8–4.3 cm) with subdensely spinose margins (vs. entire), larger inflorescence (20 × 4.5–5.5 cm vs. 11–12 × 3 cm), longer flowers (27–32 mm vs. ca. 20 mm), which are fragrant (vs. odorless), larger sepals (11–12 × 8–9 mm vs. ca. 9 × 5 mm) with a longer apical mucro (2–3 mm vs. ca. 1.5 mm) and the larger petals (18–20 × 5 mm vs. ca. 12 × 3 mm).

Surprisingly, the place where this new species was found is situated not far from the type locality of its closest relative, A. ituberaensis . Both live under the same ecological condition, revealing the richness of the local flora and the need of deeper botanical survey and effective conservation of the remaining vegetation.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Aechmea gregaria (Leme 8761 et al.). A. Habit. B. Partial view of the population and its terrestrial habit. C. Details of the flowers. D. Inflorescence. E. General view of the habitat and Bromeliaceae community.

FIGURE 3. A–D. Aechmea avaldoana (Reis Jr. & Soares s.n). A. Apex of the leaf. B. Basal margin of the leaf blade. C. Flower. D. sepal. E–I. Aechmea gregaria (Leme 8761 et al.). E. Apex of the leaf blade. F. Floral bracts. G. Flower. H. Sepal. I. Petal. J–S. Aechmea timida (Leme 8664 et al.). J. Apex of the leaf. K. Basal margin of the leaf blade. L. Frontal-abaxial view of the floral bract. M. Lateral view of the floral bract. N. Flower. O. Sepal. P. Petal with 2 stamens. Q. Blade of the stigma. R. Lateral view of the anther. S. Frontal view of the anther.