This new species was found in the "Caatinga" domain in the States of Bahia and Alagoas, not far from the border with the State of Sergipe. In Bahia, it was growing terrestrially on sandy soils, forming small populations protected by shrubby vegetation. The two known sites of collection are distant from each other by about 84 km and are ecologically similar.
The ecosystem known as "Caatinga" shelters various types of sclerophylous vegetation in the semi-arid region of Brazil and is characterized by a long dry season that may stretch over nine months or more. It is observed in the Northeastern States, like Bahia, Pernambuco, and Alagoas, and in part of Minas Gerais State. Despite most of the species of Orthophytum live in the region of the Atlantic Forest or more often in the grasslands on rocky soil ("Campos Rupestres"), on quartzite and sandstone outcrops that form the usually hight-altitude landscape of Serra do Espinhaco range, in Brazil (Leme 2004) recently a new species was encountered in the heart of the "Caatinga" domain, as described below: —SeeJ. Bromeliad Soc.
