Ramirez 1992 (Conference Paper) Neoregelia, Hylaeaicum

A systematic revision of Neoregelia subgenus Hylaeaicum (Bromeliaceae)

Author(s):—I.M. Ramírez M.

Publication:— (1992).

Abstract:—The species of Neoregelia subgenus Hylaeaicum are restricted to the Amazon Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. Taxa in this group have been traditionally separated mainly by vegetative features. Studies of plants under cultivation have shown that many of the characteristics traditionally used are plastic (such as relative length/width of leaves, stolons, and flower size). These studies of living material and all herbarium material available have demonstrated that characteristics such as disposition of the sheaths on the stolons (distichous vs. spiral), number of leaves per rosette, growth type (climbing, pendant, etc.), sepal color, and the relative and absolute length of floral bracts, sepals, and petals, are the most constant features that separate the taxa (about 15 spp.) in this subgenus. Analysis of these traits and of several others has made possible a realignment of the taxa. A new classification for Neoregelia subgen. Hylaeaicum is proposed. A new key for the species, descriptions based on all the information available, ecological data, and a clado-gram explaining the phylogenetic hypotheses have been compiled. The affinities of subgenus Hylaeaicum with other groups of the Bromelioideae have also been considered.