Vriesea eltoniana Pereira
& Ivo n. sp.
Subgenus Vriesea Section Vriesea
Plant : epiphytic, flowering 55 cm high
Leaves : about 15, ligulate, in a funnelform rosette.
Sheaths : ovate, 6 cm long, 3 to 4 cm wide, minutely
lepidote, dark purpureous.
Blade : linear , about 25 cm long, 3 cm wide, purpureous underneath and green on the
upper side, minutely lepidote, apex acute and apiculate.
Scape :erect, dark purpureous , about 37 cm long, 5
mm in diameter, internodes 25 mm long,
exceeding the leaves.
Scape bracts : oblong, 30 mm long, dark purpureous with
inconspicuous scales, rotundate and mucronate apex, evolving the scape and
exceeding the internodes.
Inflorescence : simple, complanate, 10 to 20 cm long, 5 cm
wide.
Rachys : slightly geniculate, dark purpureous , 5 mm
internodes, glabrous and lucidous.
Floral bracts : narrowly ovate, 3 cm long, long, lower half
purple and upper half yellow, much carinate and incurved at apex, externally
glabrous, inconspícuos lepidote scaly inside ,partly covering the flowers.
Flowers : 55 mm long, not at all secund, divergent at
anthesis, not covering the rachys
Pedicels : purple, 5 mm long, 5 mm thick.
Sepals : oblong -lanceolate, 35 mm long, 10 mm wide,
externally glabrous, internally covered with inconspicuous scales, obtusely
carinate, yellowish, apex green and obtuse, exceeding the floral bracts.
Petals : linear, 45 mm long, 10 mm wide, yellow, apex
green and emarginate, bearing 2 ovate scales, 3 mm adhered to the base.
Stamens : exserted, filaments cylindrical.
Anthers : linear, 6 mm long, sagittate at base and
obtuse at apex, longer than internodes.
Stylus : exceeding the anthers.
Ovary : pyramidal, 5 mm long.
Placentae : fixed from base to apex of locules.
Ovules : many, apiculate.
Typus : Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, São Pedro
D´Aldeia, collected by Elton Leme, nº 8-79, 5th July 1981. Holotypus at
Herbarium Bradeanum, HB nº 71.210 .
Comments : this species is close to Vriesea
laxa Mez , but differs chiefly by
its curved floral bracts, strongly carinate .
Published in Bradea, Herbarium Bradeanum´s bulletin,
volume III, nº 27 , 15th December 1981,
Pg. 212 photo nº II, Pg. 213 .
Complementary comments : the holotype photo taken by us in
July 1981, indicates floral bracts more
red than purplish, confirmed by the flowers of the cultivated plants, unfortunately lost after some years.