Cryptanthus cinereus D.M.C. Ferreira & Louzada[as Cryptanthus cinereus ]

Diagnose: —Cryptanthus cinereus differs from C. felixii J.A. Siqueira&Leme by its leaf blades narrowly triangular, wider at the base (vs. sublinearlanceolate, distinctly narrowed toward the base), primary bracts with adaxial surfaces densely lepidote (vs. glabrous or glabrous with base densely lepidote), shorter flowers, 39–52 mm long (vs. 55–64mm long), sepals connate 1.6–5mm (vs. 9–11 mm), white at base and apex, and pink in the center (vs. greenish-hyaline toward at base and margins), sepal lobes lanceolate, 14.2–20.5 mm long (vs. narrowly elliptic-ovate, 11–13 mm long), petals 21.5–26 mm long, connate 1–1.2 mm (vs. 31–47 mm long, connate 9–17 mm), filaments 17–18.2 mm long (vs. 22–35 mm), and stigma 0.2–2.2 mm long (vs. 6 mm long).

Observations: —Cryptanthus cinereus is easily differentiated from all other species in theAtlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River (AFNSFR) by the leaf blades that are wider at the base (vs. distinctly narrow toward the base). Other characteristics that help distinguish this species are the densely lepidote trichomes on the adaxial surfaces of the leaf blades and primary bracts. All other species distributed in the AFNSFR have adaxial surfaces of both the leaf blades and primary bracts that are glabrous, glabrate, glabrous with densely lepidote trichomes at the base, glabrous with densely lepidote trichomes at both the base and apices, or with crossbars of trichomes. The only exception is Cryptanthus dianae, where some individuals can have densely lepidote trichomes on both surfaces (adaxial and adaxial) of the leaf blades and primary bracts. However, C. dianae can be separated from C. cinereus by the narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate (vs. narrowly triangular) leaf blades.

Edited from : Ferreira & Louzada 2020. (protologue) A New Species of Cryptanthus (Bromeliaceae, Bromelioideae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River, and its Contribution to the Taxonomy of the Genus .