Cryptanthus tiradentesensis Leme, sp. nov. J Brom. Soc. 57(6): 268-71. 2007
Type: Minas Gerais. Tiradentes, Serra de Sao Jose, vertente sul, Caminho dos Escravos, ca. 1,200 m elev., 23 July 2003, E. Leme 5819. Holotype: HB.
Species nova a C. schwackeanus Mez, affinis, foliis utrinque dense vel subdense et grosse albo-lepidotis, laminis foliorum marginibus spinis minoribus, sepalis longioribus, petalis haud callosis differ; a C. caracensis Leme & Gross, cui proxima, sed laminis foliorum brevioribus angustioribusque, bracteis floriferis duplo vel triplo angustioribus, altitudinem sepalorum distincte brevioribus, floribus minoribus, petalis base breviter connatis differt.
Plant saxiculous or rupicolous, stemless, 3-5 cm long, 18-28 cm in diameter, propagating by short basal rhizomes.
Leaves 13-18 in number, suberect to nearly spreading, forming a lax, open round rosette;
sheaths suborbicular, 1.5 x 1.7 cm, densely and coarsely white-lepidote toward the apex, densely spinulose toward apex, greenish;
blades narrowly triangular, long acuminate, 9-15 x 0.9-1.1 cm, green except for the dark red margins, coriaceous or nearly so, nerved mainly abaxially, canaliculate, adaxially subdensely to densely white-lepidote, trichomes to obscuring leaf color, abaxially densely and coarsely white-lepidote, trichomes obscuring leaf color, margins with spines acicular, dark red, 0.5-1.5 mm long, 2-7 mm apart, the basal ones spreading densely arranged ca. 2-3 mm apart, the upper ones strongly antrorse-uncinate, subdensely to laxly arranged 5-7 mm apart.
Inflorescence distinctly bipinnate, with 14 to 20 flowers;
primary bracts foliaceous;
fascicles the basal ones 2 to 4-flowered, flabellate, complanate, 7-10 mm wide, basal peduncle ca. 3 x 3 mm;
floral bracts ovate-triangular, acuminate, ca. 9 x 4 mm, membranaceous, greenish except for the hyaline margins, obscurely and irregularly spinulose toward apex, spines uncinate, carinate, nerved, sparsely and coarsely white-lepidote toward apex to glabrescent, slightly exceeding the ovary;
flowers 24-26 mm long (with extended petals), sessile or nearly so with a inconspicuous pedicel ca. 1 mm long, fragrant;
sepals narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 8-10 x 2 mm, subequally connate at base for 3-4 mm, entire, sparsely to subdensely and coarsely white-lepidote, green;
petals spatulate, apex acute to obtuse and slightly if at all cucullate, 20-21 x 6-7 mm, very narrow toward base, connate at base for 1-2 mm in a common tube with the filaments and style, suberect at anthesis, distinctly exceeding the stamens, white, without callosities;
filaments ca. 13 mm long, adnate for 1-2 mm to the common tube with petals and style;
anthers 2-3 mm long, fixed near the base, base sagittate, apex apiculate;
pollen narrowly ellipsoid, sulcate, exine irregularly microreticulate, appearing corrugate, muri thickened;
stigma conduplicate, white, stylar lobes terete, suberect to subspreading, ca. 2 mm long, linear, apex obtuse, at apex margins inconspicuously papillose.
Ovary ca. 4 x 2.5 mm, trigonous, greenish; epigynous lacking; placentation apical; ovules obtuse.
Fruits unknown.
Paratype: Minas Gerais. Tiradentes, Serra de Sao Jose, Jul. 2001, B. R. Silva s. n., fl. cult. E. Leme 5240 (HB); Serra de Sao Jose, vertente sul, Caminho dos Escravos, ca. 1,200 m elev., 23 July 2003, E. Leme 5825 (HB); Sao Joao Del Rey divisa com Tiradentes, Serra de Sao Jose, ca. 700 m elev., 30 Nov. 2003, E. Leme 6117 & R. Leme (HB);
Cryptanthus tiradentesensis differs from C. schwackeanus by the leaves densely to subdensely and coarsely white-lepidote on both sides (vs. adaxially glabrous), sepals longer (8-10 mm vs. 6-7 mm long), and by the petals without any callosities. It is also similar to C. caracensis, but can be distinguished from it by the leaves shorter and narrower (9-15 x 0.9-1.1 cm vs. 15-35 x 1.3-1.9 cm), floral bracts twice to three times narrower (ca. 4 mm vs. 8-14 mm wide) and distinctly shorter than the sepals (vs. about equaling the sepals), smaller flowers (24-26 mm vs. 30 mm long), and by the petals shorter connate at base (1-2 mm vs. 5-7 mm).
Cryptanthus tiradentesensis is a saxicolous species of the "Campos Rupestres", growing among rock outcrops partially shaded by shrubs or on almost bare full exposed rock sufaces, from 700 to 1,200 m elevation, along the borders of Serra de Sao Jose, which faces the historical city of Tiradentes that inspired its name. The area is rich of rupicolus bromeliad species, revealing some interesting taxa like Aechmea distichantha Lem., A. nudicaulis (L.) Griseb., and Dyckia argentea Mez to name a few.