Aechmea guaratubensis E.Pereira[as Aechmea guaratubensis ]

Diagnose: —Florifera c. 40 cm alta. Folia plusquam 20, dense rosulata, base non vere utriculata; vaginis peradpressis, late triangularibus, basin versus 15 mm la-tis, intus glabris, dorso albo-lepidotis, multinervatis; limbis 40 cm longis, val-de secundis et deflexis, base 5-8 mm latis, apicem versus sensum angustatis, apice ipso aciculato, dorso albo-lepidotis, intus glabris, margine tertio infe-rior dense minute que spinosa, deinde apicem versus spinis sensim minoribus et prope apici inerme; spinis non ultra 0,5 mm longis, hialinis vel viridibus, irregularibus, nunc retrorsis, nunc rectis vel antrorsis; limbo foliis interioris minoribus, rubro, caeteris alro-viridibus. Scapus subnullus. Inflorescentia niduiaria, simplex, spicata, compacte-ellipsoidea, c. 10-flora tantum; bracteis florigeris ovato-lanceolatis, apicem versus angustatis et in acuminem longum exeuntis, plurinervatis, dorso purpureis et albo-lepidotis, 35-40 mm longis, ad base 15 mm latis, quam floris aequilongis vel longioribus paulo spinosis. Flores cum ovario 35 mm longae, sessiles, cleistogamae; sepalis base 3 mm alte connatis, assimetricis, 6 mm longis sine mucrone magno, qui quarto sepalorum longitudine est, obtuse carinatis, purpureis, primum albo-lepidotis demum glabris, apice rotundato et mucrone magno aucto; petalis 20 mm longis, spathulatis, apice rotundato-emarginatis et cymbiformibus, semper clau-sis, (haenc ut videtur cleistogama), dimidio inferiore albidis, superiore pallide lilacinis, base ligula bina, fimbriata et calli bini longitudinali, stamines pa-ralelli donata; staminibus inclusis, filamentis ser. I usque ad apicem calli connatis deinde liberis et incrassatis, filamentis Ser. II liberis sed dimidio superiore etiam crassioris; antheris linearibus, 6 mm longis paulo curvatis, apice apiculatis, base rotundatis, medium versus dorsifixis; pollen granuli oblongi biporati, pori satis magni; ovario albido, glabro, 10 mm longo, subtri-gono, tubo epigineo 3 mm longo; placenta pauciovulata, paulo infra apicem anguli loculi affixa; ovuli obtusi.

Observations: —Very closely allied to A. pitcairnioides Mez which, as far as my knowledge goes, was never found again after Blanchet's type collection in Bahia, 1857, without specific locality (deposited at G). Our new species differs however in the completely glabrous ovary, the placenta fixed a little below the apex, obtuse ovules and also in the quantity of leaves, size of the spines and other details.

Edited from : Pereira 1972b. (protologue) Species novae in Brasilia Bromeliacearum - IV .