Maciel et al. 2015c (Conference Paper) Brazil

Aechmea Ruiz & Pavón from the northern portion of the Atlantic Forest

Author(s):—J.R.. Maciel, R. Louzada & M. Alves in Benko-Iseppon, A.M.; Alves, M. & Louzada, R. (2015) An overview and abstracts of the First World Congress on Bromeliaceae Evolution. Rodriguésia 66(2): A1-A66.

Publication:— (2015).

Abstract:—Aechmea comprises nearly 250 species distributed in eight subgenera and is one of the most representative genera of Bromelioideae. It occurs from Mexico to southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina. In the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, 140 species have been cited which represent more than 50% of the richness of Aechmea. The lack of updated taxonomic keys for identification, the high rate of endemism and the recent novelties published within Aechmea from this region motivated this work. Herein we present a taxonomic synopsis of Aechmea species from Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará states. Samplings were conducted in areas of all states studied between 2010 and 2014. Morphological descriptions were made using terminology from the literature and DELTA EDITOR 1.04 software. Two names were excluded from the species list compiled from the literature, thus A. conifera and A. marauensis are now confirmed as restricted to Bahia. We documented a total of 27 species of Aechmea in the region: distributed in Alagoas (17 spp), Pernambuco (19 spp), Paraíba (12 spp), Rio Grande do Norte (3 spp) and Ceará (4 spp) states. Aechmea subg. Aechmea was the most representative with 20 species, followed by A. subg. Chevaliera with four species, and Aechmea subg. Lamprococcus, A. subg. Macrochordion and A. subg. Pothuava with one species each. In the study area, the Gravisia complex is of particular importance and represented by ten of the 14 species that form this informal taxonomic group.

Keywords:—Bromelioideae; Centro de Endemismo; Taxonomia.