Dyckia marnier-lapostollei L. B. Smith by W Rauh Trop. Subtrop. Pflanz. 53: 51-8. 1985
In 1966, L. B. Smith in the American Bromeliad journal, vol. 16, p. 102-103 described one of the most beautiful Brazilian Dyckias as D. marnier-lapostollei. The short stemmed plant is a large rosette up to 30 cm in diameter, and whose leaf blades are serrated on the edges with dense, silver-white spines and appear to be a metallic silver-grey (fig. 26, left). The plant forms a short, simple lateral inflorescence with a few, bright orange-red flowers (fig. 28, a; a'). This was described from a specimen that flowered in “Les Cèdres” Botanical Garden, St. Jean Cap Ferrat. The location is specified in the original diagnosis as: Diamantina (8 km from Belo Horizonte), Minas Gerais, Brazil. 1981 Leopoldo Horst and I visited Arroio da Seca, Rio Grande do Sul. In this broad area we found a Dyckia (see fig. 29), but it was not D. marnier-lapostollei, but a different species, which was cultivated at the Botanical Garden under the number 56 195. We come back to this plant on page 58 (Linked to Dyckia pedicellata which is now treated as an Encholirium- Butcher). All the plants in cultivation, including those at the Botanical Garden of Heidelberg, come (from 1933) from the plant in “Les Cèdres" because D. marnier-lapostollei at the base of the rosette produces abundant offsets, which serves as the vegetative reproduction. However, the plants remained a rarity in collections. Because we only had one clone available and also the most specimens only had stamens, we could never achieve seeds so that a generative propagation was not possible. I therefore asked L. Horst in the course of his travels collecting cacti to try to find D. marnier-lapostollei as detailed in the Flora Neotropica", Vol. 14 (Pitcairnioideae) on page 560 at the specified areas of collection: 24 km northwest of Veadeiros on road to Cavalcante, 22 Oct 1965, Irwin, Souza & Santos 9517; Serra dos Cristais, 2 km north of Cristalina, 2 Nov 1965, Irwin et al 9938 . It is notable that Diamantina (Prov. Minas Gerais) is no longer specified as a location in the Flora Neotropica. The specification for the type is now: without exact locality, Brazil! Horst also found D. marnier-lapostollei in the Serra dos Cristais, 3 km north of Cristalina and sent a specimen treated as his No. 4 at the Botanical Garden of Heidelberg. These are cultivated here under numbers 59 697 and 699 59. All plants showed traces of fire, and Horst said, that the plants at the site are at the very least endangered by continuous bush fires. The above mentioned specimens rooted easily and soon recorded growth, and proved to be the typical D. marnier-lapostollei (fig. 26;) (Fig. 28, left). At the same time L. Horst sent a further plant, very closely related to D. marnier-lapostollei, that Asteves Pereira had collected 5 km south of Goiania (Goiás State) under the number 5. Horst said, that it could possibly be a new species. Also this plant (Horst n° 5: B.G.H. 59 698) flowered in February 1985, and in fact there were differences between Horst No. 4 and Horst No. 5. They were not sufficient grounds for a new species but Horst No. 5 could be considered as a variety of D. marnier-lapostollei. To clearly highlight the differences,it is necessary to refer to the original diagnosis by L. B. Smith. Extra details derived from specimens have have been grown from the Type plant by vegetative reproduction and cultivated under the number 9492 in the Heidelberg Botanical Garden are as follows:
plant with short, tuberous stem. Rosettes in age up to 15 cm tall, 25-30 cm in diameter. Leaves ±10. sheaths to 4 cm wide and ±2 cm high, on the base glabrous, white thick lepidote in the upper half. Blade bent backwards broad triangular acuminate, tapering to a spiny tip, up to 15 cm long, above the sheath up to 5 cm wide, dense white lepidote on both sides; Plant therefore appearing metallic silver.
Blades involute, densely retrorse toothed on the edge; Teeth to 3 mm long. Hooked (fig. 26 left; fig 27, above). Inflorescence lateral, lax, up to 55 cm long. Peduncle up to 35 cm long, green, glabrous, with long internodes. Peduncle bracts sheath forming, triangular-acuminate, fresh drying parchment, much shorter than the internodes. Fertile section of the inflorescence a simple spike, up to 20 cm long, ± 15-flowers (fig. 28, a u. a'). Axis thin, slightly flexuous, green, glabrous. Flowers subsessile, with a very strong secretion of honey. Floral bracts tiranular-acuminate, up to 5 mm long, 4 mm wide at the base, shorter than the sepals; These are wide oval, blunt, cucullate, up to 7 mm long, brownish green. Petals bright orange-red, erect, blunt, almost rhomboid, dorsally with very scattered white star hairs. Stamens with the anthers as long as the petals, postfloral not protruding (fig. 28, a'). Filaments free above the filament tubes. Stigma subsessile. Fruit black green.
Flowers, especially in the afternoon (in cultivation) very strongly smelling of Trimethylamine (Heringslake), a smell not found in. This can well attract flying beetles for pollination. This variety is named after the Cactus collector and companion of L. Horst, Esteves Pereira, as var. estevesii Rauh var nov.
A typo differt characteribus sequentibus:
Folia rosulae epidermide atroviridi minus dense lepidota, itaque atrocana; dentes usque ad 6 mm longi, apice brunnescentes, laxe dispositi. Scapus inflorescentiae tenuis, usque ad 50 cm longus, longior quam in typo; bracteae scapi basales lamina brevi dentata, superiores ovali-acuminatae margine denticulatae. Pars fertilis inflorescentiae usque ad 30 cm longa, tenuis, usque ad 30 flora. Bracteae florales ovali-acuminatae, basales tam longae quam sepala, superiors sepalis breviores. Flores breves, crasse pedunculati, minores quam in typo. Sepala 5 mm longa, obtusa, ecarinata, in triente superiore brunnescentia, basi viridia. Petala e flavescenti aurantiaca, 1,5 cm longa, plicata. Stamina filamentis late applanatis, antheris anguste oblongis extrorsus curvatis, post anthesin visibilia. Flores minus valde nectar secernentes et minus foetentes.
Holotypus: Hortus botanicus heidelbergensis No. 59 698 (: Horst No. 5), leg. Horst et Pereira, in herb. inst. bot. system. univers. heidelb. (HEID).
Habitat es distributio : In rupibus planis in directione meridionali a Goiania (Prov. Goias), Brasilia.
Differs from the type in the following features: Rosette leaves with dark green epidermis, less densely lepidote and therefore appearing dark grey, at times glabrous and then cross striped; Teeth erect, up to 6 mm long, brownish on the top and lax (fig. 26, right;) (Figure 27, below). Peduncle very thin and up to 50 cm long (fig. 28, (b)); Basal peduncle bracts with a short, toothed blade, the upper ones oval acute, weakly toothed on the edge. Fertile section of the inflorescence up to 30 cm long, thin, up to 30-flowered. Floral bracts oval acuminate, the basal ones as long, the upper ones shorter than the sepals. Flowers short and thick stemmed, smaller than in the type. Sepal 5 mm long, blunt, ecarinate, brownish in the upper third, at the base green. Petals yellow orange-red, 1.5 cm long, pleated. Stamens with wide flattened filaments and narrow long, curved outwards anthers, postfloral visible (fig. 28, right, b').
Flowers secreting less honey and less smelly.
Holotype: B.G.H. 59 698 (= Horst No.5), leg. L. Horst and Esteves Pereira, in the herb. Inst. f. System. Botany of the University of Heidelberg (HEID).
Habitat and range: On rocks, South of Goiânia (Prov.Goiás), Brazil.
Key to the two varieties of Dyckia marnier-lapostollei L. B. Smith
1. Leaves dense white lepidote, silver grey; Teeth up to 3 mm long; Inflorescence up to 50 cm long; Anthers postfloral not visible; Flowers with intensive Trimethylamine smell var marnier-lapostollei
1. Leaves less densely scaled bluish grey, sometimes almost glabrous; Teeth up to 6 mm long; Inflorescence up to 80 cm long, very thin; Anthers postfloral visible; Flowers less smelling of Trimethylamine var. estevesii Rauh
Unfortunately neither Horst nor Pereira could photograph Dyckia marnier-lapostollei and its var. estevesii in habitat. —SeeSmith & Downs 1974
