Vriesea correia-arauji Pereira & Penna n. sp.
Subgenus
Vriesea section Vriesea
(Vriesea
correia-araujoi , after H. Luther & E. Sieff binomial list)
Plant : epiphytic, stoloniferous, flowering to 30 cm
high. Stolons 5 cm long, densely covered by imbricate bracteoles.
Leaves : many, never ligulate, densely rosulate, forming a crateriform bulb at the bases, 12
to 14 cm long.
Sheaths : ovate, 3 cm long, 2 cm broad, brunneous and
minutely lepidote at both sides.
Blades : 10 cm long, 5 mm maximum width, narrowly
triangular, narrowly acuminate to apex, green, membranaceous, bearing
inconspicuous scales, much
curved.
Scape : glabrous, purpuraceous, 16 cm long, 4 mm
broad, about 3 cm long internodes.
Scape bracts : leaf-like, the upper smaller, with
purpurescent sheaths and green blades, all exceeding and evolving the
internodes.
Inflorescence : simple, 7 to 8 cm long, erect, with 6 to 9
polystichous flowers.
Rachys : sub-geniculate, green , glabrous, 5 cm long
internodes.
Floral bracts : broadly lanceolate, glabrous, with the
superior third white, the lower
purplish, 35 mm long, 15 mm maximum width, ecarinate, acute apex,
exceeding the sepals, evolving the flowers, and never covering the rachis.
Flowers : erect, 4 cm long.
Sepals : lanceolate, acute, ecarinate, 25 mm long,
glabrous, whitish.
Petals : spatulate, obtuse apex, 28 mm long, white,
sub-erects at anthesis, bearing 2 linear, entire scales, 12 mm adhered to the
base.
Stamens : 30 mm long, longer than the petals and
exserted at anthesis; filaments complanate.
Anthers : linear, yellow, dorsifixed at the base, 10 mm
long, sagittate at base and acute to apex.
Style : 28 mm long, cylindrical, equaling the
anthers.
Ovary : pyramidal, 5 mm long.
Ovules : many, caudate.
Typus : Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, Parati Mirim,
epiphytic in flooded forest, 4 m over sea level, collected by Luiz K. Correia
de Araujo, nº 7, on the 7th December 1979. Holotypus at the Herbarium
Bradeanum HB nº 69.484 .
Comments : this species is very similar to Vriesea poenulata (Baker) E. Morren ex Mez , but is
distinguished by the
very lax inflorescence, rachis well exposed,
floral bi-colored and different in form.
We dedicate this new species to the enthusiast
bromeliophyle Luiz Knud Correia de
Araujo, who collected it, and has
contributed a great deal to the discovery of new species and varieties. He has
also resolved many uncertainties over ecological variations.
Published : in Bradea, Herbarium Bradeanum´s bulletin,
volume III, nº 7, 10th march 1980, Pg. 45-46, photo Pg. 48.
Complementary comments : we have received many examples
from the original Luiz K. C. Araujo collection, except those pressed at
Herbarium Bradeanum. The others are being cultivated in Petrópolis, Rio de
Janeiro State, flowering periodically up to the present time (2001). We are
adding detailed drawings and color photos of these plants. We have noticed, on
cultivated plants, that the floral bracts are rosy, not purplish, and the
petals are light rose with whitish apex.