General notes
One of the most striking phenomenon observed involving bromeliad species which grow in the Brazilian grasslands on rocky soils ("campos rupestres") is the convergence of shapes and structures. Regarding Vriesea, local habitat conditions determine some of the plant's characteristics. The form of the leafrosettes ( often tubular or nearly so ), the nocturnal anthesis, and the chiropterophilous syndrome presented by most species of section Xiphion contributes to the development of a very similar floral structure (such as in Werauhia). At first glance, sympatric lithophytic Vriesea species appear to be conspecific. However, comparing the conformation of such usually endemic plants and their inflorescence structures, it is possible to recognize different species growing side by side, such as the new ones presented here. —SeeJ. Bromeliad Soc.
