Aechmea tomentosa
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Aechmea tomentosa
Raney Lien 01/25

Aechmea tomentosa Mez, in C. DC., Monogr. phan. 9: 229.1896.
Desc in Frag Atl NE Brazil 216-8. 2007
PLANT epiphytic or terrestrial, flowering ca. 100 cm tall, propagating by short basal shoots.
LEAVES ca. 15, rosulate, suberect, coriaceous, forming at base a broad funnelform rosette;
SHEATHS elliptic to ovate, 18-24 x 9-11 mm, castaneous, densely and minutely brown-lepidote on both sides;
BLADES sublinear, slightly if at all narrowed toward the base, 60-110 x 4.5-7 cm, green, densely white-lepidote abaxially, sparsely and inconspicuously white-lepidote mainly adaxially, apex acute distinctly apiculate, apiculus slightly recurved, margins densely to laxly spinose, spines dark brown, narrowly triangular, nearly straight to antrorse or sometimes retrorse-uncinate, flat, the basal ones 2-4 mm long, 0.5-2 mm wide at base, 3-15 mm apart, the upper ones 0.5-1 mm long, 2-8 mm apart.
SCAPE erect, 30-65 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter, red to reddish, densely white-lanate, smooth;
SCAPE BRACTS elliptic ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, 13-17 x 3.5-6 cm, reddish to stramineous, nerved, white lepidote, exceeding the internodes, erect and imbricate, concealing the scape, the upper ones entire.
INFLORESCENCE shortly paniculate, tripinnate except for the bipinnate apex, distinctly shorter than the leaves, erect, 13-24 cm, 9-16 cm in diameter at the middle, rachis 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter, nearly straight, densely white-lanate, reddish to red;
PRIMARY BRACTS elliptic to broadly elliptic, acuminate, entire, papyraceous, cymbiform, finely nerved, red, densely white-lepidote, spreading, distinctly exceeding to slightly shorter than the branches, decreasing in size toward the inflorescence apex, 8-14 x 5-7 cm;
PRIMARY BRANCHES polystichously, subdensely (the basal ones) and 3-5 cm apart, to densely arranged and forming a subglobose head at apex, spreading, 5-9 cm long (excluding the petals), stipes 0.5-2 x 0.6-1 cm, ebracteate, complanate, red, densely white-sublanate, rachis straight or nearly so where visible, densely white-sublanate, red, 3-6 mm in diameter, slightly if at all exposed mainly toward the apex, the basal branches bearing 2 to 3 secondary branches densely arranged;
SECONDARY BRACTS resembling the floral bracts but sometimes slightly longer;
SECONDARY BRANCHES 4-4.5 cm long (excluding the petals), polystichously to subdistichously arranged, forming an angle of ca. 45deg with the primary axis, basal peduncle 4-5 mm long, bearing 3 to 4 flowers densely arranged, rachis short, geniculate where visible, ca. 3 mm in diameter, reddish to greenish, densely whitc-sublanate;
FLORAL BRACTS inconspicuous, with broadly triangular-ovate base and setaceous blade, 2-3 mm long, entire.
FLOWERS 45-52 mm long (when petals extended), odorless, suberect at anthesis in relation to the axis, densely and subdistichously to polystichously arranged, sessile;
SEPALS broadly ovate to slightly obovate, asymmetrical with the lateral membranous, rounded wing distinctly shorter than the midnerve, not twisted at anthesis, slightly twisted afterwards, yellowish-green, densely white-sublanate, ecarinate, 17-23 x 8-11 mm, free or nearly so, thickly coriaceous at base, margins membranous, apex acute and mucronulate, mucro 1.5-2 mm long;
PETALS sublinear, acute, minutely and slenderly apiculate, 38-39 x 4-5 mm, free, yellow, erect except for the recurved apex at anthesis, brownish afterwards, bearing at base 2 spatulateobovate, truncate, remotely crenulate, appendages 3 x 1-1.2 mm, as well as 2 conspicuous longitudinal callosities extending to 20-21 mm from the base;
FILAMENTS 27-28 mm long, slightly complanate and dilated toward the apex, yellow, the antesepalous ones free, the antepetalous ones basally actuate to the petals for 8-10 mm;
ANTHERS 9-10 mm long, yellow, dorsifixed at the middle, base bifid-sagittate, apex apiculate, apiculus recurved;
POLLEN subglobose, multiporate, exine reticulate, lumina polygonal;
STIGMA conduplicate-spiral, ellipsoid, orange, slightly exceeding the corolla at anthesis, entire to inconspicuously papillose;
OVARY sub-clavate to obovate, nearly terete, 12-13 mm long, ca. 7 mm in diameter, dark green, densely whitesublanate; epigynous tube ca. 2 mm long; placentation from apical to central; ovules long caudate.
FRUITS slightly enlarged from the ovary, dark green.
Type: Pernambuco, Igarassu, 16 Nov 1887, Ramage s. n. Holotype: BM; photo HB.

MATERIAL EXAMINED
PERNAMBUCO: Barreiros, Fazenda da Pedra, along BR 101 sul, 6 Jan. 1997, J. A. Siqueira-Filho 478, cult. Bbio 44 (UFP); Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Engenho Tiriri, Foz do Rio Massangana, 1 May 1997, G. S. Baracho & J. A. Siqueira-Filho 588/577 (UFP); ibidem, Engenho Boa Vista, Mata do Lixao, 7 Aug. 2002, J. A. Siqueira-Filho 1247, cult. Bbio467 (UFP); between Sirinhaem and Rio Formoso, Usina Trapiche, Mata do Engenho Jindai, 27 Mar. 2004, E. Leme 6205 & J. A. Siqueira-Filho (HB); Ipojuca, Mata de Muro Alto, 6 Nov. 1999, J. A. Siqueira-Filho 7007 (UFP); Paudalho, near Academia de Policia Militar, 26 Aug. 1995, G. M. Sousa et al. 149 (UFP); Sao Lourenco da Mata (Tapera), Estacao Ecologica do Tapacura, 26 Jul. 1932, B. Pickel 3059 (IPA); ibidem, Mata do Toro, 26 Aug. 1980, A. Lima & A. Bocage 73 (IPA); ibidem, 28 Sept. 1995, G M. Sousa & M. G. L. Wanderley 164 (UFP); ibidem, Mata do Camocim, 15 May 1997 J A. Siqueira-Filho 608, cult. Bbio 735 (UFP); Sirinhaem, Usina Trapiche, Engenho Anjo, Mata do Cao, 15 Dec. 2004, J. A. Siqueira-Filho 1445, J. B. Oliveira & M. S. Leite, cult. Bbio 578 (UFP), ibidem, idem, fl. cult. E. Leme 6662 (HB);Tamandare (Rio Formoso), Reserva Biologica de Saltinho, 28 Aug. 1954, J. I. Falcao, W A. Egler & E. Pereira 868 (IPA, RB); ibidem, 6 Jan. 1997, J. A. Siqueira-Filho & G. S. Baracho 483/500 & M. J. A. Campelo, cult. Bbio 46 (UFP); ibidem, Mata da Paquivira, 2 Sept. 1998, G. Martinelli 15131, L Barbara, R. Azoury & C. E. da Silva (RB); ibidem, APA de Guadalupe, Restinga de Arinquida, 26 Jan. 2000, A. Sacramento 620 (PEUFR).
ALAGOAS: Passo do Camaragibe, Fazenda Santa Justina, Mata do Pilao, R. P Lyra-Lemos et al. 8155 (MAC); Porto Calvo, Engenho Oriente, 14 Aug 1960, A. Lima 60-3512 (IPA); Sao Luis do Quitunde, RPPN Garabu, 21 Aug. 2004, R. R Lyra-Lemos et al. 8440 (MAC).

DISCUSSION
Aechmea tomentosa is clearly related morphologically to A. constantinii. The former species differs in its denser, distinctly smaller inflorescence (13-24 x 9-16 cm vs. 35-46 x 18-35 cm), with shorter branches (to ca. 9 cm vs. to ca. 22 cm long) and shorter basal peduncle (to ca. 2 cm vs. to ca. 10 cm long), more densely arranged at the apex of the inflorescence and forming a globose head or nearly so, flowers proportionately larger (45-52 mm vs. 33-45 mm long), sepals proportionately longer (17-23 mm vs. 10-17 mm long), and petals longer (38-39 mm vs. 25-35 mm long). Populations of A. tomentosa are most commonly found in lowlands, ranging from Restinga forests and adjacent Atlantic forest to the foothills, but there may be some overlap with A. constantinii populations.
Aechmea tomentosa was first illustrated in 1648 by Georg Marcgrav, in "Liber Tertius" of "Historiae Plantarum," from the collective work of Willem Piso, Marcgrav and Ioannes de Laet, "Historia Naturalis Brasiliae" (page 86). Research and the publication of this work was financed by Maurice of Nassau (Freedberg, 1999). The original painting is found in the library of Jagiellonian University, in Krakow, Poland. It was also published in Book IV, "Icones Vegetalium", of the collection "Theatrum Rerum Naturalium Brasiliae," organized by Christian Mentzel from 1660 to 1664 (Ferrao & Soares, 1993; Teixeira, i993). Here it was known by the indigenous name "caraguata" which refers generically to members of the Bromeliaceae different from the pineapple.
According to Lopes (2002) who studied natural populations of A. tomentosa at the Tapacura Ecological Station, flowering occurs from July to September when two to nine functional flowers are produced daily and pollinated by Amazilia fimbriata, Glaucis hirsuta and Phaethornis ruber.

Aechmea tomentosa Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 229.1896.
Desc from S&D
Leaves ca 2 m long; sheaths elliptic, dark castalleous toward base;
Blades ligulate, acuminate, pungent, 45-70 mm wide, serrate with small curved antrorse spines, pale green, glabrous above, covered beneath with minute appressed white scales.
Scape stout, dark purple, white-tomentulose becoming glabrous;
Scape-bracts large, broadly elliptic, entire.
Inflorescence tripinnate, subdensely pyramidal, obtuse, 22 cm long, 16 cm in diameter, white-tomentulose; axis red;
Primary bracts like the scape-bracts, exceeding the branches, to 1 dm long, ample, red, bearing pale appressed scales;
Branches wholly fertile, short.
Floral bracts setaceous, 3 mm to almost lacking, entire;
Flowers sessile.
Sepals free, strongly asymmetric, mucronate, 23 mm long, thick-coriaceous;
Ovary obconic, not constricted at apex, 12 mm long, epigynous tube large; placentae borne between the middle and apex of the cells; ovules caudate.
Type. Ramage s n (holotype, BM; photo GH), Iguaracu, Pernambuco, Brazil, 1887.
Distribution. Epiphytic, Pernambuco and Alagoas, Brazil.
BRAZIL. Pernambuco: Sao Bento, Sao Lourenco da Mata, Sep 1932, Picke/ 3059 (IPA); Rio Formoso, 28 Aug 1954, Falcao, Egler & Pereira 868 (RB, US); Pereira 868 (HB); Bezerros, 1 Nov 1959, Lima 593388 (IPA). Alagoas: Porto Calvo, 14 Aug 1960, Lima 60-3512 (IPA).

Protologue
Aechmea tomentosa Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 229.1896.
47. Ae. tomentosa; vaginis scapalibus integerrimis; inflorescentia tripinnatim densiusculeque pyramidatim panniculata, e ramulis omnibus fertilibus, valde abbreviatis composita ; bracteolis florigeris quam maxime reductis vel abortivisi integerrimis; floribus petalis neglectis +/- 35 mm. longis, sessilibus; sepalis liberis, apice spinulosis; petalis ignotis; ovario densiuscule tomentoso; placentis loculis circa medium indeque apicem versus affixis ; ovulis manifesle caudatis. Folia adsunt pauce vaginis ignotis, apicem versus sensim acuta demum in spinam validissimam desinentia, margine dense spinulis omnibus sursum curvatis, subatris armata, certe ultra 0.6 m. longa, 45 mm. lata, late viridia, supra glabro subtus lepidibus minutis peradpressisque, albidis obtecta, Scapus triste purpureus, tomento permanifesto albo obtectus demum glabratus ceterum ignotus. Inflorescentia submultiflora, apice late rotundata, tota tomento e pilis formato valde persistenti, cinereo obtecta; axibus triste purpureis: bracteolis primariis amplissimis, peranthesin absque dubio optime rubris, late ellipticis, subacutis, dependentibus, ad 0.1 m. longis, integerrimis, peradpresse pallide lepidotis; bracteolis florigeris in setulas ad 3 mm. longas, suberecto-patentes mutatis vel fere omnino abortivis ; ramulis patentibus, complanatis, apice fere fasciculatim florum (si accuratius inspicis e ramulis secundariis quoque provenientium) ad 15 gregem erectum gerentibus. Sepala flavescenti-viridia, ad 23 mm, longa, dorso praesertim basin versus densiuscule brevissimeque pilosa, apice spinula ad 2 mm. longa, patenti aucta, crasse coriacea, valde asymmetrica. Petala cum genitalibus ignota. Ovarium obconico-stipitiforme, profunde sulcatum, apice nullo modo constrictum, +/- 17 mm. longum; tubo epigyno magno, infundibuliformi. Fructus ignotus. Brasilia, prov. Pernambuco ad lguarassu : Ramage. - Floret Octobri. (V. s, et ic. in herb. Mus. Brit.)

Updated 27/01/25