Neoregelia correia-arauji Pereira & Penna n. sp.
(Neoregelia correia-araujoi after H. Luther & E. Sieff in Bromeliad Binomials)
Plant : epiphytic, flowering 40 cm high.
Leaves : many, forming a rosulate
infundibuliform tank at the base,
ligulate, membranaceous, uniformly colored, about 40 cm long.
Sheaths : broadly elliptic, about 18 cm long, maximum
width 12 cm, densely puntate-lepidote at both sides, purplish and green
maculate.
Blades : sub-linear, about 22 cm long, maximum width
11 cm, apex with a red spot, broadly
rotundate and emarginate, bearing a rigid mucron, inconspicuous punctate
lepidote at both sides, green, lightly purpureous marmorate. Margin sub-densely
spiny, 1 to 3 mm long, purple.
Scape : 4 cm long, 1 cm diameter.
Scape bracts : ovate, 35 mm long, apiculate, entire, thin,
whitish punctate-lepidote on both sides.
Inflorescence : simple, sub-globose, 10 cm
long, 8 cm diameter.
Involucral bracts : narrowly ovate, 45 mm long, spiny apex,
entire, whitish and membranaceous, punctate -lepidote on both sides.
Floral bracts : linear, 6 cm long, 1 to 2 cm wide, entire and
translucent, acute apex, lightly lepidote, ecarinate and whitish, attaining the
middle or surpassing the sepals.
Flowers : with pedicels, about 8 cm long, pedicels
about 3 cm long, white.
Sepals : 25 mm long, sub-lanceolate, spiny at apex,
asymmetric, glabrate and green, 3 mm connate at base.
Petals : petals and stamens unknown in our specimen.
Ovary : cylindrical, about 2 cm long.
Placentae : fixed at middle of the locules.
Ovules : apiculate.
Typus : Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, Angra dos
Reis, collected by Luiz K. Correia de Araujo, nš 42, on the 18th January
1983. Holotypus at Herbarium
Bradeanum Comments : this
species is related to Neoregelia marmorata ( Baker) L. B. Smith, but differing in its
8 cm long flowers, 3 cm long pedicels, floral
bracts not cucculate nor carinate with acute apex, sepals with
spinescent apex, cylindrical ovary and other
details.
Published : in Bradea, Herbarium Bradeanumīs bulletin,
volume IV, nš 1 , 18th October
1983, Pg. 2 - 3, figure 2, Pg. 6 .
Complementary comments : with the plants from the original
collection made by L. K .C. de Araujo, cultivated by us, we can verify that the
petals are linear, lanceolate, 3 cm long, acute and apiculate at apex, with a
green spot on the inner side, over the anthers, erect and not incurved at
anthesis; anthers are included, dorsifixed at the lower third, falcate, forming
a crown that encircles the superior half of the pistil. Filaments sub-complanate,
adnate to petals by 8 mm and free for 3 mm. Pollen grains porate. External
flowers from inflorescence have pedicels bigger than the inner ones, about 3 cm
long. External floral bracts also are bigger than the inner ones, but the apex
of the flowers are all the same height, at anthesis. The stylus is cylindrical,
about 12 mm long, white. The pistil is white, 3 mm long, spiralate and reaches
the inferior half of the anthers, entirely encircled by them.
We are presenting detailed drawings and color photos of living plants.