Androlepis skinneri Brongniart ex Houllet
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- Translated by Butcher
Androlepis skinneri var. skinneri (nom. prov.; Rauh 38 827, Guatemala), male type in Trop. Subtrop. Pflanz.43: 54-58. 1983
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Inflorescence exceeding the leaf rosette, 90 cm high.
Scape 1 cm thick, to 60 cm long, white woolly, at the base with subfoliate scape bracts;
Scape bracts in the upper part longish lanceolate, acuminate, at anthesis already dried up.
Inflorescence 30 cm long, lax, cylindrical, to 5 cm thick, with 0,7 cm thick, white woolly axis.
Flowers single or up to 5 in a short side spike, very short stemmed, at about anthesis to 2 cm long.
Primary bracts narrow-linear, parchment like, the basal ones approximately 1/2 as long as the flower, the upper ones much shorter. Pedicel approximately 2 mm long.
Floral bracts small, dull, shorter than the slim, narrowed at the base, to 7 mm long and 3 mm thick, white woolly ovary.
Sepals strongly asymmetrical, with long spiny tip, to 4 mm long and 4 mm wide, scattered wool, pure green.
Petals 7 mm long, 3 mm wide, at the base short connate, ligulate, blunt, much exceeding the sepal, pale yellow, at anthesis strongly spreading.
Stamens enclosed; free sections of the filament short and narrow, Anthers orange-yellow, with two narrow, upright, horns hanging above the anthers. Style present; lobes shrivelled up. Ovary without ovules.
Collection No: Rauh 38 827, 2. 10. 75, in the Herb. Inst. Syst. Bot. Univ. Heidelberg (HEID) in alcohol and living in the Botanic Garden of the University
Habitat and range: Rio Dulce, Lago de Isabel, terrestrial in moist places, 150 m, Prov. Isabel, Guatemala.
In fig.37 the herbarium specimen of a female plant of A. skinneri var. skinneri (Syn. A. donnell-smithii Mez,is shown. The plant came from P. C. STANDLEY collected under the number 52 808 as an Aechmea in the Lancetilla-Valley near Tela, Dptm. Atlantida, Honduras. One can see that the flower is much larger than those in fig. 35 of male plants; the Inflorescence therefore appears denser and more compact.
Androlepis skinneri var. mexicana (nom. prov.; Rauh 26 919, Mexico), male plant in Trop. Subtrop. Pflanz. 43: 58-62. 1983 No Latin therefore n. n. Treated as A. skinneri in Binomials 3, 1992
The plant collected in South Mexico is also lax and is a male plant like the Guatemalan-plant but differs from this in following characteristics:
Inflorescence axis thicker; Primary side branch very short; floral groups therefore almost sessile; sterile ovary short and rounded; Sepals at the base very thick and swelling to the sessile ovary; Petals not flat extended but hooded at the top; free sections of the filament wider than the Guatemalan plant, fleshy; Anther appendage shining orange-yellow, bent strongly hornlike, therefore shorter than the anthers.
Whether differences are enough for the installation of individual varieties must wait for further collections especially female plants.
A detailed diagnosis (from live material) follows:
Plant stemless, flowering to 70 cm high, (probably higher).
Rosette leaves numerous, forming a large funnel rosette to 80 cm high and to 1,2 m in diam; outer rosette leaves short.
Sheath very large, not distinct, to 18 cm long and 13 cm wide, above bright leather-brown, underneath green, to the base dark brown lepidote.
Blades ligulate, to 10 cm wide and 1,2 m long, erect when young, later bent over, tapering to a 0,5 cm long spine, edges densely and finely toothed, in the shining light dark flecked, upper side laxly scaled, underneath white scaled; scales in rows.
Inflorescence to 60 cm long,( probably longer), erect, shorter than the rosette-leaves, laxly bipinnate.
Scape 1-1,2 cm thick, to 40 cm long, densely white woolly.
Scape bracts basal ones subfoliate, densely imbricate, erect, with long, violet-green sheath and short, triangular, tooth edged, underneath whit lepidote blade. upper ones narrow- lanceolate, at anthesis already drying like parchment and hanging loosely.
Fertile section of the Inflorecsence 20 cm long, (probably longer), bipinnate, at anthesis to 3 cm wide.
Inflorescence axis 1,5 cm thick, straight, dense white woolly,;
Primary bracts basal ones narrow lanceolate to 3 cm long, 0,5 cm wide, wide at the base, drying parchment-like; the upper ones inconspicuous, small, shorter than the side spiks.
End of the spike vestigious.
Primary side spike very short, white woolly, with 1, 2, 3 to 5, very short pedicelled flowers.
Floral bracts small, inconspicuous.
Single flower at anthesis ±1,5 cm long, with thick, club-like, 7 mm long, woolly hairy, sub-sessile ovary.
Sepals glabrous, yellow green, with a sharp, hooked tip, strongly asymmetric, winged on one side,3-4 mm long, fleshily thickened at the base and bulging with the sessile ovary, ecarinate, only towards the hooked tip is it weakly carinate.
Petals at anthesis erect to weakly spreading, blunt, cucculate, pale yellow, 7 mm long, 3 mm wide, at the base short connate.
Stamens enclosed, connate with the petals connate 3 mm high and wide, fleshy, white, free filaments; Anthers longish, pale yellow, on the dorsal-side at the base with 2 shining lemon-yellow, bent hornlike, toothed at the top appendage. Style present or lacking; Ovary without ovules.
Collection No. : Rauh 26 919,( 27. 10. 71).
Habitat and Range: Epiphytic in tropical rain-forest, between Ocozocautla and Malpaso, 600 m, South Mexico, Prov. Chiapas. The plant was collected in 1971 as a young species of Aechmea. After 12 years, it flowered in the Botanical Garden of Heidelberg University for the first time. A sure proof that the species is in Mexico, because L. B. SMITH writes in Flora Neotropica, 14/3, p 1526: “doubtfully referred to Mexico ".
Androlepis skinneri var. peruviana (nom. prov.; Rauh 25640, Peru), female plant in Trop. Subtrop. Pflanz. 43:63-65. 1983. No Latin therefore n. n. Treated as A. skinneri in Binomials 3, 1992
Plant flowering to over 1 m high.
Leaves numerous, forming a to 70 cm high and to 1,2 m wide funnel rosette.
Sheath indistinct, to 17 cm long and 13 cm wide, underneath pale brown, upperside bright leather-brown scaled.
Blades to 1 m long, ligulate, 10 cm wide, underneath somewhat grey green, finely nerved, lepidote, scaled between the nerves, upperside dark green, shiny, glabrous, tapering to a short, sharp, pungent tip, edges with light brown very hard small teeth, 3-5mm apart.
Scape to 40 cm long, shorter than the rosette-leaves, very thick, to 2 cm, white woolly hairy, enclosed densely by the scape bracts;
Scape bracts basal ones subfoliate with long, adjacent to the scape and somewhat ventricose, pale reddish to violet sheath. Blade broadly triangular acuminate, underneath nerved. The upper ones laxly arranged, so that the white woolly rhachis is visible, soon drying and hanging downwards, narrow-linear, to 14 cm long, 1,5 cm wide, the edges smooth, tapering to a sharp thorny tip, in a dry state strongly nerved, the fertile area quickly shortened and then much shorter than the flowers, linear-triangular.
Fertile sectio to 20 cm long, lax cylindric, axis visible, with numerous, 2 -, usually 3-flowered spikes.
Flowers numerous, standing side by side;
Primary bracts thin, membranous, inconspicuous, 1,5-2 cm long.
Floral bracts very short, hardly visible.
Flowers short and thick pedicel and at anthesis 2 cm long, l cm wide,
Sepals ecarinate, tapering to a short, angular, sharp thorny tip, pale greenish, fleshy at the base and laxly star shaped hairy woolly, strongly asymmetric and winged.
Petals pale yellow, blunt, exceeding the sepals by about 5 mm, some bent over and spoon shaped;
Stamens sterile and shorter than the petals, with wide, short, somewhat fleshy, deeply inserted filaments and longish anthers; which have dorsally 2, occasionally toothed or hornlike bent appendages. Style thick, with 3 yellow, papillose lobes.
Ovary ± 1,5 cm long, 1 cm thick, according to the position straight or bent, dense woolly hairy, scarcely glabrous. Seed very small, numerous, .
Collection No.: Rauh 25 640, (21. July 1971).
Habitat and range: Epiphytic in forest areas near Yaupi-Baja, 1300 m, rare,( central-Peru, Dptm. Cerro de Pasco).
The author is convinced that more collections will be made making a wider range for Androlepis.
Notes
Far away from the type locality of Androlepis skinneri var. skinneri is the location of the Peruvian plant, Rauh 25 640, that I found in 1971 in the valley of Yaupi-Baja epiphytic near 1300 m high and was collected as Aechmea. The Peruvian plant seems to be the highest known growing Androlepis until now. In the valley of Yaupi-Baja we could not find a flowering or fruiting plant. In 1982 the plant started flowering in the Heidelberg Botanical Garden and proved to be female. A comparison is therefore only possible with the herbarium material which was that of P.C. STANDLEY (Coll. No. 52 808 in the Lancetilla Valley near Tela, Dptm. Atlantida, Honduras at 20-600 m high) This is very large similar looking to our Peruvian plant, and because of its isolated location should become var. peruviana . Further examinations are necessary to make the question of the systematic position more clear. It is clear our Peruvian plant is an Androlepis because of the dorsal anther appendage and the sterile stamens. (Trop Subtrop Pflanz)
- Local name. British Honduras: Wild pine. —See Smith & Downs 1979
