Vriesea naundorfii Rauh[as Vriesea naundorfii Rauh]

Diagnose: —Planta acaulis, florens usque ad 60 cm alta; folia rosulam anguste infundibuliformem formantia; vaginae late ovales, 7-9 cm longa, 5 cm lata, indistincte limitata, utrimque brunneo-lepidota; laminae lingulatae, usque ad 60 cm longae, 4 cm latae, acuminatae apice duro fere pungente, utrimque virides et subtus rufescenti-lineatae vel maculatae; scapus inflorescentiae arcuate adscendens foliis rosulae brevior, 20-30 cm longus, 5 mm diametiens, teres, viridis, glaber; phylla scapi basalia subfoliata, superiora breviora vagina magna et lamina angusta longe acuminata multo longiora quam internodia; inflorescentia laxa pauciflora (flores usque ad 7), usque ad 20 cm longa, 2,5 cm lata axi leniter geniculato, glabro, levi vel verrucoso; bracteae florales laxe distichae, sub anthesin leviter homomallae, 3-6,5 cm longae, basales longiores, superiores breviores quam flores, longe et pungente acuminatae, virides vel rufescenti-brunneae, ecarinatae, nervatae, glabrae; sepala breviora vel bracteis floralibus aequilonga, usque ad 3 cm longa, 1 cm lata, longe acuminata, ecarinata, glabra indistincte nervata; flores sub anthesin plus minusve 2,5 cm longi, aperti 1 cm lati petalis viridibus; antherae cum stylo in flore inclusae. Habitat: Ecuador centralis (probabiliter in regione vicina Lago Agrio), leg. Dr. E. NAUNDORF, sine Nr. coll. Holotypus: in herb. inst. bot. system. univ. heidelb. (HEID), BGH Nr. 38943

Observations: —Vriesea naundorfii vegetatively looks like V. ringens (Griseb.) Harms, (Range: Costa Rica to Colombia), but has banding on the underneath of the leaves, the inflorescence of V. ringens is mostly branched, rarely single, the rhachis below the internose verrucose, the floral bracts are carinate towards the tip; they are acuminate and narrow and do not taper into a long, pungent tip; the erect flowers are 6-8 cm long, with petals white or yellow.
Using the Vriesea key of L. B. Smith, one reaches near to V, schippii L. B. Smith, (Range: Nicaragua), as well as V. macrochlamys Mez & Werckle, ( Range: Costa Rica). V. naundorfii however bears no relational relationship to either. In “The Bromeliaceae of Ecuador” by A. J. Gilmartin (1972) the present plant is not mentioned.

Translated by Butcher from: Trop. Subtrop. Pflanzenw.. (protologue) Bromelienstudien. I.Neue und wenig bekannte Arten aus Peru und anderen Ländern .