Aechmea limae Leme[as Aechmea limae Leme]

Diagnose: —Ab Aechmea andersoniana, cui affinis, laminis foliorum integris, internis latioribus, inflorescentiae rachide glabra, sepalis viridibus sed apicem versus albescentibus, petalis per anthesin recurvato-patentibus et ovario viridi differt.

Observations: —Observations: Aechmea limai represents another delicate new species from the hygrophilous Atlantic Forest of the State of Bahia. It belongs to a group of A. lingulata complex species small in size and with simple or shortly branched inflorescences (A. amorimii Leme, A. andersoniana Leme & H.Luther, A. bicolor L.B.Sm., A. canaliculata Leme & H.Luther, A. laevigata Leme, A. viridostigma Leme & H.Luther, see Leme & Siqueira-Filho 2006.

According to the key provided by Leme & Siqueira-Filho (2006), this new species comes close to A. andersoniana, but differs from it by the entire leaf blades (vs. spinulose toward the apex), the inner leaves broader (2.5–2.8 cm vs. 1.4–1.7 cm wide), inflorescence with a glabrous rachis (vs. rachis subdensely white sublanate), green sepals with whitish apex (vs. yellow), petals spreading-recurved at anthesis (vs. suberect), and by the green ovary (vs. yellow).

Edited from : Leme & Kollmann 2011. (protologue) New species and a new combination of Brazilian Bromeliaceae. .