Mezobromelia capituligera (Griseb.) J.R.Grant
Literature references:
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Comments:
- The following variety considered not necessary by Zanoni, Mejia & Read in Moscosoa 4: 95-6. 1986
Vriesea capituligera var. lutea Steyermark, Journ.Brom.Soc. 32(3): 113. 1982
A var. capituligera bracteis florigeris petalisque luteis recedit.
VENEZUELA: Estado Yaracuy: Distrito San Felipe: virgin cloud forest at Vuelta de Pavo, 5 km. south of Candelaria, 10 km. north of Salom, Lat. 10° 15' N., Long 68° 29'30" w. alt. 1200 m., 7 Dec. 1980, Julian A. Steyermark & Victoriano Carreno Espinosa 123808,
Epiphyte; entire inflorescence butter yellow, including flowers, bracts, and rachis; leaves rich green; growing half way up palm 15 meters.
Additional collections from the same locality in the Estado Yaracuy are Steyermark 106183 and 106260.
General notes
In wet montane or cloud forests, most frequently in cooler zones at relatively high altitudes, may be found the handsome epiphytic Vriesea capituligera. Its showy, dark red, closely set bracts of the robust, erect flowering spikes stand out in contrast to the predominantly dark green of the forest canopy.
When in flower, the solitary thick spike attains a height of 0.5-0.8 meters and protrudes prominently well above the spreading rosette of richly green leaves. Distributed from the Greater Antilles south in the Andes mountains to Peru, this species in Venezuela is confined to the wet cool forests of the Andes, the Coastal Range, and infrequently occurs southward in the sandstone table mountains of the Guayana Highland.
Throughout its range, the broadly ovate, navicular, vividly red floral bracts, enclose in their cup-like fold a dense cluster of usually yellow to white flowers. This red-and-yellow or red-and-white color combination is the normal color scheme present in the species.
A different color combination is prevalent in an isolated sector of a cloud forest in the state of Yaracuy . Here on a few forested ridges, bordering quebradas which drain northeastward into the rio Taria of the western part of the Coastal Range of Venezuela, occurs a rare but dominant local color variation. In this variety the entire flowering portion is yellow, including the floral bracts and flowers. All the populations seen in this sector exhibit this yellow color combination. All plants were observed at altitudes of 1200-1300 meters as epiphytes on tall forest trees, generally at heights of 10-15 meters from ground level on tree trunks. In some cases, tall palms were favored by the bromeliads. —See Gouda 1987
