Pitcairnia albomarginata Rauh[as Pitcairnia albomarginata Rauh]

Diagnose: —Planta turmas formans ; planta singularis caule brevi, florens usque ad 60 cm alta. Folia pauca (circiter 6) pro rosula, homomorpha, fasciculata, inflorescentiam superantia. Vaginae distincte limitatae, triangulatae, basi 1 cm latae, 2 cm longae, subtus castaneae, nervatae floccoso-lepidotae, supra glabrae lucentes. Laminae basi involutae, de ea causa in partem basalem 20 cm longam, 0,3 cm crassam modo petioli disperse floccosam inermem se angustantes. Lamina plane angusto¬linealis, usque ad 50 cm longa, 2,5-3 cm lata, longe attenuata utrimque fere glabra, subtus nervo mediano prominulo, margine inermis, arcuata. Scapus inflorescentiae erectus, plus minusve 20 cm longus, 0,5 cm diametiens, teres, rufescens, dense lanato-floccosus. Phylla scapae pauca (usque ad 5), basalia 2-3 subfoliata, inflorescentiam longe superantia, superiora bracteis floralibus similia. Inflorescentia simplici-cylindrica, usque ad 6 cm longa, 2,5 cm lata. Bracteae florales dense spiraliter insertae, flores omnino obtegentes, basales phyllis scapi superioribus similes, virides vel rufescentes, superiores erectae late patelliformes apicibus brevibus paulum recurvatae, axem basi lata amplectentes, late ovali-acuminatae, basales usque ad 7 cm longae, in dimidio superiore atro-cinnabarinae, basim versus laetiores, virides, utrimque disperse brunneo¬lepidotae, flores omnino obtegentes, subsessiles usque ad 4,5 cm longae. Sepala usque ad basim libera, 15-18 mm longa, oblongo-lanceolata, obtusa disperse brunneo-lanata, imprimis ad apicem; sepala posteriora distincte carinata, alba, rubro-apiculata. Petala usque ad 4 cm longa, apicibus contortis, paulum divaricatis, obscuro-atroviolacea limbo albo, basim versus alba, supra ligula bidentata, paulum discedentia. Antherae stylumque inclusae. Filamenta alba, valde plicata, thecae luteae inclusae. Stylus albus. Ovarium fere omnino superum, ovula longe caudata. Holotypus: RAUH Nr. coll. 52 920 (Juni 1980), in herb. inst. bot. system. univ. heidelb. (HEID). Habitat et distributio: Aequatoria centralis, prope Puyo terricola at copiose in rupibus.

Observations: —The plant is similar to P. hitchcockiana L. B. Smith, but differs from this in the following characteristics:
Leaves not distichous, posterior sepals sharp keeled but not alate; Petals not red but dark-black-violet and white edged.

Translated by Butcher from: Rauh 1984b. (protologue) Bromelienstudien (Mitteilung 15). I. Neue und wenig bekannte Arten aus Peru und anderen Ländern .