Vriesea costae B.R.Silva & Leme[as Vriesea costae B. R. Silva & Leme]

Diagnose: —A V. goniorachis (Baker) Mez, cui proxima, laminis foliorum viridibus, subtus glabris, bracteis floriferis minoribus, petalis basi ligulis binis apice grosse laciniatis ornatis, stigmata lobis crenulatis, ovulis breviter caudatis differt.

Observations: —This new species resembles V. goniorachis, but differs from it by its light green leafblades, which is glabrous abaxially, shorter floral bracts, petals bearing at base two appendages with an apex coarsely laciniate. Vriesea costae can be also distinguished by crenulate stigma lobes, and the shortly caudate ovules. It is named in honor of the botanist Andrea Costa, from Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, now working intensively in the revision of the genus Vriesea in Brazil.
Vriesea costae is only known from the west face of a 260 m high granite mountain, flanking the beautiful beach of Itacoatiara, in Niteroi City, located across Guanabara bay from Rio de Janeiro. The species dominates the most vertical and inaccessible parts of the rock, a fact that might explain its late discovery, despite exhaustive botanical collections in the region. Other bromeliads that share the rupicolous habitat on the same mountain, but on less vertical parts are: Alcantarea glaziouana (Lemaire) Leme, Tillandsia araujei Mez, Neoregelia cruenta (Graham) L. B. Smith and Aechmea nudicaulis (Linnaeus) Grisebach

Edited from : Leme & Silva 2001. (protologue) Two Apple-green New Species from Southeastern Brazil .