Aechmea laevigata Leme[as Aechmea laevigata Leme]

Diagnose: —Species nova a Aechmea viridostigma Leme & H. Luther, cui affinis, laminis foliorum integris, floribus ramulorum plus numerosis, bracteis scapalibus quam internodia distincte brevioribus, sepalis aurantiacis, apice mucrone duplo breviori, petalis subspathulatis, apice obtuse-emarginatis, stigmate albo, et receptaculo aurantiaco differt.

Observations: —Discussion. Other discrete morphological differences of A. laevigata, when compared to A. viridostigma, are the more numerous flowers per branch (6 to 7 flowered vs. ca. 2 flowered), scape bracts distinctly shorter than the internodes (vs. equaling to slightly shorter than the internodes), sepals orange (vs. greenish-yellow) and with a apical mucro twice shorter (ca. 1 mm vs. ca. 2 mm long), petals subspatulate with obtuse-emarginate apex (vs. sublinear with acute apex), and by the white stigma (vs. green) and the orange ovary (vs. greenish-yellow). In addition to these differences, A. laevigata has no apical coma of sterile bracts on the inflorescence apex, while A. viridostigma presents a coma of numerous small sterile bracts on the apex of the inflorescence, which can be clearly observed in figure 3 in Leme & Luther (2003).

Edited from : Leme 2005. (protologue) Three New Miscellaneous Species of Bromeliaceae from Bahia, Brazil .