Guzmania undulatobracteata (Rauh) Rauh
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- In February 1971, we collected a terrestrial bromeliad with a tripinnate inflorescence and remarkable, bicolored (yellow-red) floral bracts. These bracts were characterized, moreover, by a broad, hyaline margin. Therefore, we named it undulato-bracteata. Since we had very poor flower material at hand and because of the exact distichous arrangement of the flowers (typical of the genus Tillandsia) we described our plant as Tillandsia undulato-bracteata (Holotype: Rauh 25825).
Now, in February 1990, 19 years later, a pup of the type plant came into flower in the Botanical Garden of the University of Heidelberg so that we had many authentic flowers at hand. We must state that our Tillandsia undulatobracteata has typical Guzmania flowers and must, therefore, be transferred into that genus even though the distichous arrangement of the flowers is a feature of the genus Tillandsia.
The name of the plant must be changed to: Guzmania undulatobracteata (Rauh) Rauh.
Even in 1974, we pointed out that the plant, with its red-striped leaf bases and yellow-red spikes looked more like a Guzmania than a Tillandsia.
In addition to the type locality, we found the plant in Ecuador in the valley of the Rio Quijas, north of Baeza, near El Chaco (Rauh 34656, 1973). It was recollected by G. Raeymaekers in Ecuador between Quito and Baeza in Apri11978.
Guzmania undulatobracteata really is a striking plant. It is related to Guzmania victoriae Rauh from northeastern Peru (Ingenio-Tarapota, Dptm. Amazonas) where we collected this plant in a dense, dark, moist, and cool mist forest at an altitude of 220 m (holotype: Rauh 38336, 1975). It has tripinnate inflorescences with a distichous arrangement of the red-yellow floral bracts, often with a transition to a spirostichous arrangement (Fig. 9). For this reason, G. victoriae seems to be a link between all the other polystichous-flowered Guzmania species and the distichous-flowered Guzmania undulatobracteata.
With this information, it is necessary to change the diagnosis of the genus Guzmania. In the L.B. Smith and R.J. Downs monograph is written: "Inflorescence mostly bipinnate or simple, its branches polystichous-flowered. . . " In The Bromeliaceae of Ecuador, 1972, A.J. Gilmartin writes of Guzmania (p. 185): "Spikes of branches with flowers always disposed polystichously. . . " So we have to add to the genus diagnosis of Guzmania: " . . . branches polystichous, rarely distichous-flowered. . . "
In addition to the original diagnosis of Guzmania undulatobracteata of the 1974, a detailed description of the flowers now follows (Fig. 10):
Both Guzmania undulatobracteata and G. victoriae are related to G. paniculata Mez but the latter has polystichously arranged flowers. —See Rauh 1991c p. 41(1): 18-20, 24
