Gouda 2016a (Article) Pitcairnia

Pitcairnia biflora a beautiful small species not yet well known and probably not in cultivation

Author(s):—E.J. Gouda

Publication:—Journal of the Bromeliad Society 65(3): 198-203. (2016)

Abstract:—Pitcairnia biflora Smith (1939) was described from one fragmented collection, Sandeman s.n. (holotype K) from Peru near Moyobamba, 900 m elevation. The original description was quite short and was not extended in the Monograph (Smith & Downs 1972: 364). Werner Rauh (1985: 35) published an extended description in German, based on a new collection from Dept. Loreto, 1200 m elevation (Rauh 63681a), but still several flower characteristics were missing, like sepal information and petal color etc.

Species of Alcantarea usually grow as rupicoles in sun exposed areas on vertical granitic surfaces of inselbergs in the Atlantic Forest domain or, less frequently, on sandstone outcrops in the Campos Rupestres. It is rarely observed in the Caatinga vegetation or as a terrestrial. Plants size is variable, ranging from gigantic species with many-leaved, bulky rosettes reaching 3.7 m (12 feet) in diameter and having much branched, tall inflorescences [e.g. A. imperialis (Carrière) Harms] to small-sized taxa with few-leaved tubular rosettes and short, simple inflorescences [e.g. A. farneyi (Martinelli & A.F. Costa) J.R. Grant].

The taxonomic richness of Alcantarea is far from being reasonably known mainly because they typically grow in isolated, hard-to-reach habitats, often in poorly explored, or even unexplored, mountainous regions . The new species described below is another ornamental addition to the genus.