Araeococcus
Araeococcus is a genus of the subfamily Bromelioideae. It is native to northern South America (including Brazil), Central America and Trinidad. The genus name is derived from the Greek word araios (thin, weak, slight) and the Latin word coccus (berry).
Number of accepted species in this genus is 4.

Araeococcus Brongniart, Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 15: 370. 1841.
Desc from S&D
Low herbs, mostly epiphytic.
Leaves appressed-lepidote.
Inflorescence laxly paniculate, scapose.
Flowers small, inconspicuous.
Sepals free to connate for half their length, rounded, glabrous;
petals free, reflexed at anthesis, naked;
stamens shorter than the petals;
filaments free;
anthers longer than the filaments;
pollen-grains ellipsoid with a pore at each end;
ovary terete, glabrous; epigynous tube none; style longer than the petals, the stigma-lobes scarcely twisted; ovules few (up to 10), borne at the top of the cell, long-caudate.
Seeds narrowly ovoid-cylindric, acute at both ends.
Type. Araeococcus micranthus Brongniart, Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 15: 370. 1841.

Key to Subgenera of Araeococcus
1. Flowers sessile. => subgen 1. Araeococcus.
1. Flowers slenderly pedicellate. => subgen 2. Pseudaraeococcus.

Araeococcus subgen 1. Araeococcus
Araeococcus subgen Eu-Araeococcus Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 32: 75. 1934.
Flowers sessile.
Type. Araeococcus micranthus Brongniart, Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 15: 370. 1841.

Key to Species of Subgenus Araeococcus
1. Floral bracts large and ample, covering the flower and fruit, pectinate-serrate. Costa Rica, Colombia. => A. pectinatus
1. Floral bracts small, not covering the flower or fruit, entire or obscurely serrulate. 2. Branches of the inflorescence spreading, much divided, geniculate. Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Guiana, Amazonian Brazil. => A. micranthus
2. Branches of the inflorescence ascending, simple or slightly divided, slightly flexuous. Brazil: Amapa. => A. goeldianus

Araeococcus subgen 2. Pseudaraeococcus Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 32: 76. 1934; as 'Pseud-Araeococcus'.
Flowers slenderly pedicellate.
Type. Billbergia parviflora Martius ex Schultes filius in Roemer & Schultes, Syst. 7(2): 1270. 1830.

Key to Species of Subgenus Pseudaraeococcus
1. Blades of the inner leaves linear-triangular, caudate-acuminate, serrulate. Colombia, Venezuela, Amazonian Brazil. => A. flagellifolius
1. Blades of all the leaves ligulate, acute, entire. Brazil: Bahia. => A. parviflorus

Updated 12/11/24