Vriesea
taritubensis Pereira & Penna n. sp.
Subgenus Vriesea Section Vriesea .
Plant
: epiphytic , 30 cm high without inflorescence.
Leaves
: rosulate, forming a crateriform tank at the base,
ligulate, membranaceous, about 30 cm long, lightly contracted over the sheaths.
Sheaths
: sub-elliptic , about 7 cm long, 4 mm wide, green and
inconspicuous lepidote at both sides.
Blades : linear, about 23 cm long, 2,5 cm maximum width, acute and apiculate
apex, green and glabrate on both sides.
Scape
: erect, green, shorter than leaves, 20 cm long, 5 mm
thick, 20 mm long internodes.
Scape
bracts : lanceolate to narrowly ovate, glabrous, rose,
acute apex, as long as internodes, totally covering the scape.
Inflorescence : simple, bracts densely imbricate,
very complanate, 30 to 50 cm long, 5 cm wide, acute apex.
Rachis : straight, rosy, 10 mm internodes, almost invisible.
Floral
bracts : about 6 cm long, yellowish to rosy, very
carinate, lightly curved, largely ovate when expanded, 35 mm maximum width,
never secund.
Flowers
: erect, lightly secund at anthesis, 70 mm long.
Pedicels : 5 mm long.
Sepals
: not connate, 25 mm long, 8 mm wide,
oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, yellowish, obtusely carinate.
Petals : linear, rotundate at apex, 50 mm long, 8 mm
wide,
light yellow, green apex. bearing 2 entire scales at the base.
Stamens
: exserted, 60 mm long.
Style : 60 mm long .
Stigma
: green, exceeding the anthers.
Ovary : pyramidal, 6 mm long.
Typus
: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State, Tarituba, Fazenda São
Gonçalo, collected by Luiz K. Correia de Araujo, nº 37, on the 16th January
1982. Holotypus at Herbarium
Bradeanum HB .
Comments
: this species is related to Vriesea sucrei L.B.Smith & Read , but differs in
its broadly ovate floral bracts, smaller sepals and scape shorter than the
leaves.
Published : in Bradea, Herbarium Bradeanum´s bulletin, volume IV, nº 1 , 18th
March 1983, Pg. 4 , figure 4, Pg. 8.
Complementary comments : we have many plants of this species in cultivation, some from the original collection and some collected by ourselves, in the same region. We are adding detailed drawings and color photos of these plants.