Cryptanthus glaziovii Mez
Literature references:
Comments:
- Since described by Carl Mez in 1891, the true identity of Cryptanthus glaziovii has been veiled in deep mystery. The description was based on a specimen collected by A. Glaziou and the holotype was deposited in the Berlin Herbarium, apparently without any precise information about the place of collection: " Habitat in Brasilia orientali, loco ignoto. " However, there is an isotype preserved in the herbarium of Paris, which states the type locality: Caraca, Minas Gerais State; the date of collection: February 18, 1884 .
Because of its distinctly caulescent habit, this cryptanthus was misinterpreted for many years. Related or misidentified taxa are C. bahianus L.B. Smith, C. pseudoglaziovii Leme, C. odoratissimus Leme, C. exaltatus Luther, to name a few. In the same way, the lack of any data about petal morphology contributed to the general state of confusion and provided speculation concerning the possibility of fitting it in the genus Orthophytum because it looked like 0. vagans.
In 1988, a Cryptanthus specimen, very delicate in size and texture, found in Roberto Kautsky's collection (probably native to his property at Domingos Martins, Espirito Santo, was presented as a good candidate for Glaziou's species.
After making considerations on a so-called "imposter of glaziovii" often found in cultivation, Harry Luther stated that the new, delicate plant could be the much-desired C. glaziovii, but prudently asked for blooming, collected specimens for comparison and further clarification. On the other hand, commenting on the same tiny specimen (which is typical of the Atlantic rain forest) Warren Loose suggested that the xerophytic abilities reported for C. glaziovii could be erroneous data from Glaziou's collection notes.
In 1990, during an excursion to the state of Minas Gerais, all the mystery was solved by the collection of the true Cryptanthus glaziovii at the type locality, the natural park of Caraca, where it had been found originally by A. Glaziou over a century ago. It is, without question, a typical xerophytic species, growing amidst rock outcroppings in the domain of the rocky fields, about 1,000 to 1,500 meters above sea level. There, the very effective drainage provided by a rocky soil in combination with an open, predominantly herbaceous or bushy vegetation explains the somewhat leathery (subcoriaceous) texture of C. glaziovii.
On that occasion, a few small groups were observed. Just recently, however, we returned to Caraca for supplementary observations and were successful in finding a large population with hundreds of specimens, some of them in fruit stage. On the basis of that fruiting material, as well as considering a flowering specimen obtained in cultivation, we elaborate the following description:
Cryptanthus glaziovii propagates mainlyby neans of a usually single pup produced around the inflorescence, which may explain the presence of two stemless specimens in the isotype of Paris . In my opinion, judging by the photograph, those two plants, in contrast with the caulescent one (in fruiting stage ), are no more than juvenile plants collected from the top of typical, old, stemmed —See Leme 1992d p. 42(6): 258-262
