Tillandsia suesilliae Espejo, López-Ferrari & W.Till

Literature references:

FCBS (Web)

Comments:

• Tillandsia parryi was described by Baker in 1887, based on material collected by C. Parry and E. Palmer (# 873), in the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The labels of those specimens do not provide data about the precise locality where the plant was founded; not even McVaugh (1956), in his contribution about the travels of Parry and Palmer, provides information to determine the exact place where the above mentioned plants could come from, although doubtlessly it is a place nearest Sierra de Álvarez, at the east region of the city of San Luis Potosí.
  Gardner, in her doctoral thesis (1982), pointed out that in San Luis Potosí it is possible to find at least two distinct forms “ two types” of the plants named Tillandsia parryi, one with violet petals and other with green petals and she assured that “...these types are distinct enough to be recognized as distinct species. The latter [that of green petals] is INTERPRETED as T. parryi, but dried specimens are difficult to determine”. However, she did not provide arguments to support her assertion, and neither said if she had seen the type material.
  Ehlers (1991), without providing more data, assumed as true Gardner´s interpretation (1982) and described the taxon with violet flowers as Tillandsia sueae. However, a careful revision, with the microscope, of the flowers of the type material of Tillandsia parryi (Parry & Palmer 873 (GH!, K!, MO!, PH!, US!)) showed that the petals of this taxon are violet and not green like as was supposed by Gardner. For the reasons previously stated, we conclude that Tillandsia sueae Ehlers is a taxonomic synonym of T. parryi Baker, while the species with green petals has no name, so we propose:
  
  Tillandsia suesilliae is known, until now, only from the states of San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo (Map 1), growing as a saxicole in calcareous cliffs, surrounded by Quercus forests, between 1800 and 2350 m a. s. l.
  The new species share some similarities with Tillandsia parryi but it can be easily distinguished by the characters showed in the table 1.
  
  Tillandsia parryi Baker, J. Bot. 25: 277. 1887. Type: San Luis Potosí, chiefly in the region of San Luis Potosí, 22° N C. C. Parry y E. Palmer 873 (holotype K!; isotypes: GH!, MO!, PH!, US!).
  Tillandsia sueae Ehlers, J. Bromeliad Soc. 41: 208–213, f. 6, 9–11. 1991, syn. nov. Type: Tlaxcala "Puebla", circa urbem Tlaxcala, III-1982, R. & K. Ehlers EM 82134 (holotype: WU 3760!; isotypes: WU 3761!, 3762!).
  Fig. 2.
  Saxicolous or epiphytic, stemless herb, flowering 60-80 cm tall, with funnelform, tank type rosettes, to 65 cm diameter, solitary or forming groups of two or three rosettes. Leaves numerous, sheaths distinct, pale brown abaxially, dark brown on the adaxial surface, oblong-elliptic, 10-18 cm long, 5.5-10 cm wide, densely lepidote on both surfaces, blades green-greyish, triangular to narrowly triangular, curved, involute in the margins, densely white-lepidote on both surfaces, 44-70 cm long, 3.5-3.7 cm wide, apex long-attenuate. Inflorescence terminal, erect, compound, bipinnate or occasionally tripinnate at the base, with 12 to 22(-30) adpressed to ascendent spikes, scape cylindric, 24-35 cm long, ca.7 mm in diameter, covered by the bract sheaths; scape bracts green-greyish, foliaceous, narrowly triangular, 29-40 cm long, the apex long-attenuate, reducing their size gradually to the distal portion of the scape; spikes compressed, narrowly oblong, 9-24 cm long, 1.5-2.7 cm wide, stipes 1.5-1.7 cm long, slightly compressed; primary bracts green-greyish, (5.5-)6.5-31 cm long, those of the distal portion vaginiform; floral bracts red to orange coloured, longer than the internodes, imbricate, but the rachis visible after anthesis, oblong-elliptic, 2.7-3.6 cm long, 1.2-1.6 cm wide, ecarinate except at the apex, densely to sparsely white-lepidote, glabrescent with age, acuminate; flowers distichous, adpressed, (6-)9-11 per spike, actinomorphic, tubiform, subsessile; sepals green, free, elliptic, 2.3-3 cm long, 7.5-10 mm wide, nervate, the two posterior carinate, glabrous, acuminate; petals free, violet in the apical half, white toward the base, oblong to oblong-spathulate, 4.6-5.2 cm long, 6.5-7 mm wide, acute, stamens longer than petals, in two series of unequal length, filaments violet in the apical half, white toward the base, filiform toward the base and flattened toward the apex, 5-5.8 cm long, anthers black, oblong, 3-3.5 mm long, dosrifixed; ovary ellipsoid, 7-10 mm long, 1.5-2 mm diameter, style longer than petals, violet in the apical half, white toward the base, filiform, 5.5-6 cm long, stigma violet, conduplicate-spiral, papillate. Capsule green to brownish, fusiform, rostrate, 4.6-5 cm long, 5-7 mm in diameter; seeds dark-brown, fusiform, 3.5-4 mm long, with a white coma ca. 1.8 cm long.
  
  Examined specimens: GUANAJUATO: Guanajuato, A. Dugès s. n. (GH); Municipio de Jaral del Progreso, Jaral, W. Schumann 1514 (P, US, WU); Municipio de San Luis de la Paz, cerro El Chapín, por Mesas de Jesús, E. Ventura V. & E. López 9837 (IEB(x2), UAMIZ(x2)). HIDALGO: Municipio de Jacala, cerca de Jacala, E. Matuda 38659 (MEXU(x4)); Municipio de Zimapán, 28.1 miles S of Huejutla along hwy to Pachuca, J. Utley & K. Burt-Utley 7325 (MEXU); Municipio de La Misión, 20 miles N of Jacala, O. van Hyning 594 (US(x2)); Municipio de Metztitlán, Meztitlán, R. Ehlers 942403 (M(x2)); Municipio de San Agustín Mezquititlán, ca. 4 km después de Carpinteros, rumbo a Huayacocotla, J. Ceja, A. Espejo & A. R. López-Ferrari 1298 (UAMIZ(x3)); Municipio de San Agustín Mezquititlán, ca. 6 km después de Carpinteros, rumbo a Huayacocotla, ca. 600 m después del ejido forestal La Selva, J. Ceja, A. Espejo & A. R. López-Ferrari 1300 (CICY(x2), UAMIZ(x2)); Municipio de San Agustín Mezquititlán, 3 km al E del poblado El Rodeo, J. L. López G. 411 (IEB, MEXU, UAMIZ); Municipio de Tenango de Doria, 20 miles N of Jacala, O. van Hyning 594 (US); Municipio de Tlanchinol, 4 km al NE de Tlanchinol, sobre la carretera a Huejutla, J. Rzedowski 32687 (ENCB); Municipio de Zacualtipán de Ángeles, alrededores de Zacualtipán, L. González Q. 342 (ENCB); MÉXICO: Municipio de Tlalmanalco, cañadas 3 km al S de San Rafael, J. Rzedowski 32714 (ENCB); NUEVO LEÓN, Municipio de Santiago, Potrero Redondo, A. Contreras s. n. (MEXU); Municipio de Galeana, Sierra Madre Oriental, San Francisco canyon, about 15 miles SW of pueblo Galeana, C. H. Muller & M. T. Muller 324 (GH, MICH, P, TEX); Municipio de General Zaragoza, Sierra Madre Oriental. Dulces Nombres, and just east of border into Tamaulipas, 24° N, 99.5°-100.5° W, F. G. Meyer & D. J. Rogers 2709 (BR); Municipio de Santiago, mountain 20 miles south of Monterrey, J. D. Staub & E. L. McWilliams s. n. (US(x2)); Municipio de Monterrey, second canyon south of Monterrey toward Tampico, R. Ford Smith M30 (TEX); Municipio de Aramberri, Kreuzung vor Aramberri, Schindhelm 2/93 (M(x2)); Municipio de Aramberri, cerro El Viejo, G. B. Hinton et al. 25169 (IEB, TEX); Municipio de Galeana, Agua Blanca a La Purísima, G. B. Hinton et al. 21831 (IEB, MICH, TEX); Municipio de Galeana, Sierra Madre Oriental, cañón de San Francisco, C. H. Müller s. n. (MEXU(x3)); Municipio de General Zaragoza, cerro El Viejo, G. B. Hinton et al. 22691 (TEX); Municipio de Santiago, trail from La Trinidad to Potrero Redondo, C. H. Müller 2954 (GH, LL, MICH, UC); QUERÉTARO, Municipio de Landa de Matamoros, Llano Chiquito, S. Zamudio R. & E. Carranza G. 10233 (IEB, UAMIZ); Municipio de Landa de Matamoros, Joya del Hielo y alrededores, S. Zamudio R. & E. Pérez C. 9918 (IEB); Municipio de Peñamiller, cerro de San Nicolás Molinitos, S. Zamudio R. 5951 (IEB, UAMIZ(x2)); Municipio de Peñamiller, ladera NE del cerro La Tembladera, 10.5 km al NE de Peña Blanca, S. Zamudio R. 9108 (IEB, UAMIZ); Municipio de Pinal de Amoles, al SW de 4 Palos, E. Carranza G. 2976 (IEB(x2)); SAN LUIS POTOSÍ: Sin municipio, Prov. de San Luis, Virlet D'Aoust 682 (P(x3)); Municipio de Guadalcázar, aproximadamente 5 km de San José de las Flores por camino a Los Amoles a la mitad del camino entre ambos poblados, H. Hernández M., C. Gómez & R. Bárcenas 3273 (MEXU, UAMIZ); Municipio de Zaragoza, 3 km al NE de Calera, A. Rivera 29 (ENCB). TAMAULIPAS: Municipio de Cruillas, Cerro Zamora, vicinity of El Milagro, H. H. Bartlett 11154 (GH(x2), MICH(x2)); Municipio de Jaumave, santa Rita Ranch, 40 miles south Victoria, R. Runyon 1033 (GH, US); Municipio de Bustamante, ejido Ricardo García o La Presita, km 66 carretera Victoria - Tula, M. Martínez, M. Martínez & L. Hernández S. 345 (MEXU); Municipio de Hidalgo, near La Caballada, G. B. Hinton et al. 25188 (IEB, TEX); Municipio de San Carlos, Sierra de San Carlos, ca. 5 m of San Carlos, N side of bufa El Diente, G. Nesom, M. Martínez & J. Jiménez 6299 (TEX); Municipio de San Carlos, Sierra de San Carlos en el cerro del Diente, 7 km (en línea recta) al W de San Carlos, M. Martínez & J. Martínez 2042 (MEXU); 2046 (MEXU); Municipio de San Carlos, cerro Bufa del Diente, S. Zamudio R. 11891 (UAMIZ); TLAXCALA: Sin localidad indicada, Schnée s. n. (P(x2).
  
  Sill (Gardner) (2002) pointed out a possible relationship between the substrate and the flower colour, suggesting that those plants with green petals are saxicolous while those with violet petals are epiphytic. Neither the information of our database nor our personal observations confirm this, since we have reports of plants of Tillandsia parryi growing as epihytes (Ceja et al. 1298, 1300) or as saxicoles (Anderson s.n., Zamudio 9108, Carranza 2976, Martínez & Martínez 2042, 2046).
  
  Other records: Line drawing in Gardner´s thesis (1982, p. 150) and Sill (2002, p. 209 and 212). —See Espejo et al. 2007b