Pepinia martinellii (Bromeliaceae), an Unusual New Species from Pará State, Brazil

2009·0.19 MB·

by  Luther, Harry

Selbyana 30(1): 89-90. 2009.
PEPINIA MARTINELLII (BROMELIACEAE), AN UNUSUAL NEW
SPECIES FROM PARA STATE, BRAZIL
HARRY E. LUTHER
Mulford B. Foster Bromeliad Identification Center, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens,
811 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA. Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT. Pepinia martinellii from Para State is described. It is compared and contrasted witb P. limae
(L.B.Sm.) Varad. & Gilmartin from Ceara State.
Key words: Brazil, Para, Bromeliaceae, Pepinia, new species
INTRODUCTION nuginous-Iepidote. Scape bracts spreading to
erect, setaceous, much exceeding the internodes
The genus Pepinia contains 56 species (Lu but not concealing them, to at least 6 cm long,
ther, 2006), 14 so far recorded in Brazil. The entire, fugaceously pale lanuginous-Iepidote. In
genus differs from the larger Pitcairnia by a florescence incompletely known, simple, 10 to
more restricted, mostly circum-Amazonian dis 12-flowered. Floral bracts triangular 5-8 X 2-4
tribution and alate, not caudate seeds. mm, thin, coriaceous, nerved,· apically pale stel
late-Iepidote. Flowers with a slender 8-9 mm
pedicel, erect preanthesis becoming secund pen
TAXONOMIC TREATMENT
dant postanthesis. Sepals elliptic, acute, 10-11
mm, thin coriaceous, nerved, glabrous, the ad
Pepinm martinelli H. Luther sp. nov. TYPE: Bra
axial pair carinate, the keels continuing to the
zil-Para, Mun. Oriximina, Rio Cachorro,
pedicel. Corolla semi-tubular. Petals ligulate,
Serra do Cachorro, 15 Ian NW of Cachoeiro
acute, 28-33 m*m long, unappendaged. Fruit a
Porteira, 200 m elev. Terra Firma Forest. 20
dry capsule ca. superior, 8-10 mm long. Seeds
June 1980. Gustavo Martinelli 7153. (Ho
narrowly winged.
lotype: RB; Isotypes: SEL, NY).
FIGURE 1. Comments. This very odd and distinctive
plant is unfortunately known only from in
A P. limae (L.B.Sm.) G.S. Varadarajen & Gilmartin complete and fragmentary material. Its rela
cui affinis sed Jaliis per langiaribus tenuibusque et
tionship within Pepinia are uncertain, but Pe
flares minaribus differt.
pinia limae from Ceara seems to be a close
Plant incompletely known, clustering. Leaves relative regardless of whether Pepinia is treat
densely rosulate, apparently monomorphic, 25 to ed at the generic or subgeneric rank (Varada
30 in number, 65-100 cm long, very thin and rajan & Gilmartin 1988; Taylor and Robinson
delicate. Leaf sheaths ovate 5-10 X 8-10 mm, 1999). From this and all other taxa in Pepinia,
nerved, lustrous, sparsely pale stellate-Iepidote this new species differs by having very long
especially abaxially, forming an ovoid pseudo and narrow leaf blades (50-95 cm X 1-3 mm).
bulbous base. Leaf blades setaceous, 1-3 mm From P. limae it also differs by shorter, entire
wide, involute, with a few brown antrorse 0.25- floral bracts (5-8 mm vs. 25 mm), shorter se
0.50 mm long marginal spines toward the base, pals (10-11 mm vs. 21 mm), and shorter pet
elsewhere entire, very sparsely pale-Iepidote es als (28-33 mm vs. 55 mm). The flower color
pecially abaxially. Scape incompletely known, is not known for P. martinellii; for P. limae
1.5 mm thick, stiff, fugaceously densely pale la- the color is red.
89
90 SELBYANA Volume 30( I) 2009
Imm
10 em
D E F
tcm
c
B
5cm
FIGURE 1. Pepinia martinellii. A. Habit. B. Leaf. C. Section of the inflorescence and flower. D. Floral bract.
E. Sepal. F. Petal. G. seed.
LITERATURE CITED Pepinia (Bromeliaceae: Pitcairnioideae) and tax
onomic revisions. Harvard Pap. Bot. 4: 203-217.
Luther, H.E. 2006. An alphabetical list of Bromeliad Varadarajan, G.S. and A.I. Gilmartin. 1988. Taxo
Binomials, 10th ed. The Bromeliad Society Inter nomic realignments within the subfamily Pit
national. cairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). Syst. Bot. 13:
Taylor, D.C. and H. Robinson. 1999. A rejection of 294-299.