Mezobromelia fulgens L.B.Sm.
Taxonomic Change:
Literature references:
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Comments:
- Werner Rauh in J Brom Soc 42(1): 20-26. 1992
Mezobromelia fulgens L.B. Smith, collected by J. Steyermark (1943) on the Paramo Cachiyaco to La Entrada and Nudo de Sabillas, between 2500 m and 3500 m in southern Ecuador. We collected M. fulgens on the road Loja-Zamora below La Cumbre at 2800 m in the direction of Zamora. This species grows mainly as a terrestrial in the west and windblown paramo plain together with Chusquea (bamboo), Melastomataceae shrubs, ferns, in spagnum cushions.
In the same region, we found Tillandsia seemannii (Baker) Mez, a beautiful dwarf tillandsia, but very difficult to cultivate, and also an unidentified tillandsia with long stolons and the big rosettes of Greigia mulfordii.
Mezobromelia fulgens, forms big, short-caulescent rosettes up to 1.5 m tall and 1.3 m in diameter. The erect inflorescence scape is about 1 m long, round, thick, carmine red and covered densely with scape bracts; the inflorescence is 1-2 m tall, laxly pyramidal, bi- tripinnate, sometimes at the base also quadripinnate. Rachis thick, glabrous, carmine red; primary bracts broadly ovate, carmine red, slightly longer than the naked, flattened bases of the primary branches. Spikes and flowers more or less deflexed-secund. Spikes with a slender, slightly geniculate red rachis and 3-5 distichously arranged flowers. Floral bracts broadly elliptic, obtuse, glabrous, dark purple-red, about 22 mm long, somewhat shorter than the ecarinate sepals, connate for 5 mm. Petals yellow-green, ligulate, up to 6 cm long, conglutinate for 4 cm, the free lobes recurved, with 2 dentate scales at the base. Stamens and style shorter than the petals.
On the paramo plain, M. fulgens grows terrestrially; the big tanks are filled with rain water and often closed by cushions of mosses. On the Amazonian side, on the upper limit of the mist forest, M. fulgens changes to epiphytic growth and becomes smaller .
As a consequence of the extreme weather conditions, low temperatures during the whole year, much rain or mist, and strong winds it is nearly impossible to cultivate M. fu/gens in contrast to a third species, M. lyman-smithii. —See Smith & Downs 1977
