Vriesea pulchra Leme & L. Kollmann 2011, sp. nov.

Vriesea pulchra Leme & L.Kollmann, sp. nov. (Figs. 10, C–D, 11, G–K)

A Vriesea minuta, cui affinis, laminis foliorum longitudinaliter atrovirido vel atropurpureo-lineatis, transversin irregulariter atrovirido-venosis, bracteis scapi vinoso-maculatis, bracteis floriferis angustioribus, vinoso-maculatis, apice obtusis et apiculatis vel emarginatis, sepalis interdum vinoso-maculatis et petalis late obtuse-emarginatis differt.

Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Tereza, Nova Lombardia, propriedade de J. V. Furlani, 895 m, 12 March 2008, Kollmann 11976, fl. cult. Leme 7291 (holotype RB).

Plant epiphytic, flowering ca. 50 cm high, propagating by basal shoots. Leaves ca. 18, arcuate, forming a funnelform rosette, chartaceous; sheaths broadly ovate-elliptic, ca. 8 × 7 cm, densely and minutely brown lepidote on both sides, dark castaneous toward the base, greenish with darker green longitudinal lines and irregularly wavy dark green cross-veins; blades lingulate, not narrowed at the base, apex rounded to subacute and apiculate, 15–18 × 3.5–3.7 cm, inconspicuously and sparsely white lepidote and covered by a layer of epicuticular white wax on both sides but mainly abaxially, abaxially greenish to dark purple with nigrescent margins, adaxially green, bearing conspicuous, darker green to dark purple longitudinal lines and irregularly wavy, distinct, dark green cross-veins, apex with a dark purple semicircular spot. Peduncle erect, ca. 30 cm long, ca. 0.5 cm in diameter, green, glabrous; peduncle bracts erect except for the suberect apex, narrowly ovate, apex triangular and apiculate, imbricate, slightly exceeding the internodes, glabrous abaxialy, inconspicuously white lepidote adaxially, green to purplish-green, wine spotted except for the dark purple to blackish apex. Inflorescence simple, erect, ca. 10 × 6 cm (excluding the petals), laxly flowered toward the base at anthesis, not producing any glutinous substance, rachis 3.5–4 mm in diameter, smooth, flexuous toward the base to geniculate near the apex, slightly angled, greenish-purple, glabrous, internodes 6–20 mm long; floral bracts suborbicular, broadly rounded and apiculate to slightly emarginate, 21–25 × 22–23 mm, strongly convex, ecarinate, thinly coriaceous, bearing decurrent auricles at the base, glabrous and inconspicuously rugulose abaxialy, inconspicuously white lepidote adaxially, not imbricate at late anthesis, reaching ca. 1/2 to 3/5 of the sepal length, centrally castaneous, greenish toward the margins, with large, irregular wine spots, dark purple near the apex. Flowers ca. 9 in number, 40–45 mm long, nocturnal, distichous, producing a slightly garlic smell, subdensely arranged toward the apex and laxly arranged near the base at late anthesis, subspreading to slightly reflexed, pedicels ca. 7 mm long, ca. 9 mm in diameter at the apex and ca. 4 mm in diameter at the base, green, glabrous; sepals elliptic, obtuse-emarginate, 21–23 × 15 mm, green except for the dark purple exposed margins and apex, sometimes sparsely with pale wine colored spots, ecarinate, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote, coriaceous near the base and membranaceous toward the margins and apex, distinctly convex; petals obovate, 33–36 × 17 mm, apex broadly obtuse-emarginate, the apex suberect at anthesis, connate at the base for ca. 5 mm, cream colored except for the slightly wine colored apex; bearing 2 appendages at the base, ca. 10 × 3.5 mm, basally adnate for ca. 5 mm and with broadly ovate blades, long acuminate-caudate. Stamens shorter than the petals; filaments adnate to the petals for ca. 5 mm, dilated toward the apex; anthers 8–9 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, narrowly-sagittate, apex acute; pollen ellipsoid, sulcate, exine broadly rediculate, lumina rounded, muri narrowed; stigma convolute-bladed, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, blades densely papillose, yellow; ovary yellow; ovules long caudate. Capsules unknown.

Distribution and habitat:—This new species is known from the type locality only, where it grows as an epiphyte in the understory of the Atlantic Forest of Santa Teresa, an area known for its high botanical diversity.

Etymology:—The delicate grace of this new species inspired the epithet of this species, the Latin word “ pulcher ”, meaning “beautiful”.

Additional specimen examined (paratype):— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Santa Teresa, Nova Lombardia, propriedade de J. V. Furlani, 895 m, Kollmann et al. 12037, fl. cult. 10 September 2010 (MBML).

Observations:— Vriesea pulchra is a member of section Xiphion, being morphologically similar to Vriesea minuta Leme (1995b: 24), another delicate Vriesea species from the Atlantic Forest from the southern region of Bahia. This new species, can be distinguished from it by the leaf blades having dark green to dark purple longitudinal lines as well as dark green, wavy cross-veins, giving them a distinctly reticulate appearance. This is not observed in V. minuta. Other differences are: peduncle bracts with large wine spots (vs. without spots), floral bracts narrower (22–23 mm vs. ca. 27 mm wide), bearing large wine spots, with an obtuse and apiculate to emarginate apex (vs. subacute), sepals sometimes wine-spoted and by the broadly obtuse-emarginate petals (vs. narrowly obtuse-emarginate).