In December 1998 Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Speckmaier of Caracas and Dr. Winfried Meier of the University of Freiburg, Germany, climbed the mountains west of the city of Valencia to study the local cloud forest vegetation (fig. 1). Along a gas pipeline they passed a small memorial cross adorned by a small flowering bromeliad which draw their attention. M. Speckmaier was so fascinated by this plant that he started an intensive search for it. At the crest they reached a primary cloud forest rich in epiphytes which they described as follows:
" This cloud-forest owes its existence most probably due to a special topographic situation known in this way also from the western part of the capital of Caracas. In both cases there are significant depressions or, better said, valleys opening their way through the east to west running Cordillera de La Costa connecting the coast with the level of the cities. These two valleys are not only used by highways to reach two of the most important ports of the country (La Guaira and Puerto Cabello respectively ), they are also used by the north-eastern trade winds carrying the saturated humid air from the sea up to the country behind the costal cordillera with the result that condensation and fog occurs at rather low elevations. In case of the Fila El Cafe this leads to rather humid hillfood vegetation (this is where the endemic Tillandsia funckiana Baker var. recurvifolia Blass ex Rauh and the Pitcairnia orchidifolia Mez occur) and a very wet crestal forest, even if this "fila" is located in the second row behind the costal cordillera." (see also Meier 2002).
Plants very similar to the one on the memorial were common in the canopy region but unreachable. Finally M. Speckmaier was lucky to collect fallen individuals, one of them in flower (fig. 2). The inflorescence was few-flowered and sub-distichous. Some individuals had been brought into cultivation and have flowered repeatedly but with more numerous flowers in perfectly distichous arrangement (fig. 3). All attempts to identify the plant have failed and it is therefore here proposed as a new species of Vriesea sect. Vriesea. —SeeJ. Bromeliad Soc.
In December 1998 Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Speckmaier of Caracas and Dr. Winfried Meier of the University of Freiburg, Germany, climbed the mountains west of the city of Valencia to study the local cloud forest vegetation (fig. 1). Along a gas pipeline they passed a small memorial cross adorned by a small flowering bromeliad which draw their attention. M. Speckmaier was so fascinated by this plant that he started an intensive search for it. At the crest they reached a primary cloud forest rich in epiphytes which they described as follows:
“ This cloud-forest ows [sic] its existence most probably due to a special topographic situation known in this way also from the western part of the capital of Caracas. In both cases there are significant depressions or, better said, valleys opening their way through the east to west running Cordillera de La Costa connecting the coast with the level of the cities. These two valleys are not only used by highways to reach two of the most important ports of the country (La Guaira and Puerto Cabello respectivly [sic]), they are also used by the north-eastern trade winds carrying the saturated humid air from the sea up to the country behind the costal cordillera with the result that condensation and fog occures at rather low elevations. In case of the Fila El Café this leads to rather humid hillfood vegetation (this is where the endemic Tillandsia funckiana Baker var. recurvifolia Blass ex Rauh and the Pitcairnia orchidifolia Mez occur) and a very wet crestal forest, even if this “fila” is located in the second row behind the costal cordillera.” (see also Meier 2002).
Plants very similar to the one on the memorial were common in the canopy region but unreachable. Finally M. Speckmaier was lucky to collect fallen individuals, one of them in flower (fig. 2). The inflorescence was few-flowered and sub-distichous. Some individuals had been brought into cultivation and have flowered repeatedly but with more numerous flowers in perfectly distichous arrangement (fig. 3). All attempts to identify the plant have failed and it is therefore here proposed as a new species of Vriesea sect. Vriesea. —SeeTill 2008
