Pitcairnia nigra
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Pitcairnia nigra
Pitcairnia nigra (Carriere) Andre, Enum. Bromel. 5. 13 Dec 1888; Revue Hort. 60: 565. 16 Dec 1888; combination incorrectly attributed to Carriere.
Neumannia nigra Carriere, Revue Hort. 53: 390, pl. 1881.
Pitcairnia gravisiana Wittmack, Bot. Jahrb. 11: 56. 1889. Type. Rio Dagua, Valle, Colombia, Lehmann 3854 (G).
Hepetis nigra (Carriere) Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 974. 1896.
Desc from S&D
Plant long-caulescent.
Leaves few, fasciculate, trimorphic, the outer with short subtriangular sheaths and acicular spinose-serrate blades, others with small lanceolate entire blades, and the largest with stout serrate petioles 3 dm long;
blades elliptic or obovate, apiculate, cuneate, 30-37 cm long, 10-14 cm wide, soon glabrous, entire.
Scape erect or ascending, short;
scape-bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, acute, pungent, spinoseserrate, red.
Inflorescence 1-5 dm long; axis densely ferruginous-lanate.
Floral bracts elliptic, acute, arched-spreading, 65 mm long, carinate toward apex, bright red, glabrous;
flowers sessile.
Sepals subtriangular, acuminate, 36 mm long, thin, nerved;
petals acute, 10 cm long, very dark purple, appendaged;
stamens included;
ovary almost wholly superior. Seeds long-caudate.
TYPE. Palais du Luxembourg in Paris Hortus (not found but well characterized by the original plate).
DISTRIBUTION. Scandent-epiphytic in forests and thickets, 300-1900 m alt southwestern Colombia and adjacent Ecuador.
COLOMBIA. NARINO: Altaquer, May 1876, Andre 3360 (K); Ricaurte, 15 Nov 1946, Foster 2186 (GH). ECUADOR. IMBABURA: Magnolia to Rio Chalguayaco, lower Intag Valley, 17 Sep 1944, Drew E-638 (US). PICHINCHA: Saloya, 29 Nov 1933. Heinrichs 537 (B); Chiriboga to Las Lagunas, Rio Saloya, 22-23 Apr 1941, Steyermark 52456 (F, GH). TUNGURAHUA: Rio Verde Grande, 30 Mar 1956, Asplund 20040 (S, US). BOLIVAR: Guaranda to Bodegas, Nov 1856, Remy s n (P). WITHOUT LOCALITY: Fraser (BM); Jameson (W).
Pitcairnia nigra (Carr.) Andre var. pulchella (Mez) Luther, comb. et stat. nov. Phytologia 74(6): 454. 1993
BASIONYM: Pitcairnia pulchella Mez in C. DeCandolle, Monogr. Phan. 9:459. 1896.
This taxon seems at best a smaller, more delicate morph of Pitcairnia nigra, a species with a distribution on both slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and adjacent Colombia.
Pitcairnia pulchella Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 459. 1896.
Hepetis pulchella (Mez) Mez, DC. Monogr. Phan. 9: 974. 1896.
Desc from S&D.
Plant caulescent, flowering less than 4 dm high; stem to 1 m long.
Leaves about 10, fasciculate;
sheaths broadly ovate-triangular, brown-furfuraceous beneath, long-spinose toward apex;
petioles less than 8 cm long, armed with spreading acicular spines 3 mm long;
blades obovate-lanceolate, cuneate, acuminate, 20 cm long, 5 cm wide, entire, glabrous.
Scape evident, erect, half as long as the leaves;
scape-bracts densely imbricate, laneeolate, laciniate-spinose, glabrous.
Inflorescence simple, very dense, polystichously few-flowered, 9 cm long, 4 cm in diameter.
Floral bracts lance-elliptic, inflated toward base (?), recurved-spreading and carinate toward apex, 40 mm long, 14 mm wide, exceeding the sepals, scarlet turning to brownish purple when dry; persistent until anthesis at least.
flowers subsessile, ferruginous-lanate toward base.
Sepals acuminate, uncinate-recurved at apex, 39 mm long, ecarinate;
Petals 8 cm long, dark blue.
ovary to 2/3 superior; ovules caudate.
TYPE. Lehmann 4476 (holorype B, n v, fide Mez) Ecuador without locality.
DISTRIBUTION. Epiphytic, 1800-2500 m alt, western Ecuador.
ECUADOR. AZUAY: Huahuidocal and Chagal, western slopes of West Andes of Cuenca, Lehmann 4466 (K, photo, GH). This is probably an isotype in spite of the difference in numbers. Lehmann's field book gives the above data for number 4466 but number 4476 is marked "deleted". Rio Patul, Sanaguin to Chacanceo, 30 May 1943, Steyermark 52770 (F, GH).
Updated 03/10/26