Pitcairnia kranziana Leme, 2025

Leme, Elton M. C., Souza, Everton Hilo De, Till, Walter, Barfuss, Michael H. J., Filho, José Alves Siqueira, Kollmann, Ludovic J. C., Couto, Dayvid R., Fraga, Claudio Nicoletti De, Fontana, André P., Farias-Castro, Antônio S., Fernandes, João B. & Silva, Da, 2025, Twenty Miscellaneous New Species and One New Nothogenus and Nothospecies in Brazilian Bromeliaceae, Phytotaxa 692 (1), pp. 1-60 : 37-39

Pitcairnia kranziana Leme , sp. nov. ( Fig. 16 A–N )

Diagnosis:––This new species is closely related to Pitcairnia torresiana L.B. Smith (1952: 4) , but differs from it by leaves monomorphic (vs. dimorphic), the outer ones narrowly triangular-lanceolate (vs. filiform), and leaf blades broader (12–18 mm vs. 5–6 mm wide), appearing glabrous but with sparse and inconspicuous glandulose trichomes (vs. vestite beneath with linear twisted trichomes).

Type: –– BRAZIL. Tocantins: Rio dos Bois, Paredão do Urubu, em afloramento no Cerrado , 272 m elev., 9°13’30.9” S, 48°32’40.2” W, 9 July 2021, W. M . Kranz B-740, cult. E . Leme 10046 (holotype RB!) .

Description:–– Plant saxicolous, forming sparse groups, propagating by short shoots, flowering ca. 40 cm tall; Leaves ca. 8 in number, fasciculate, suberect-arcuate, monomorphic, thin in texture, at least the basal ones deciduous along a straight, transverse line resulting in an enrolled leaf base; sheath inconspicuous, entire; blade the basal ones very short and contrasting with the much longer inner ones, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, acuminate, castaneous toward the base abaxially, green toward the apex, entire, the inner ones sublinear-lanceolate, V-shaped with a narrow central channel, narrowed toward the base but not petiolate, green, distinctly nerved mainly abaxially, 30–60 × 1.2–1.8 cm, with subdense to sparse and inconspicuous glandulose white trichomes mainly abaxially and including the margins, but appearing glabrous, apex attenuate-caudate, margins slightly undulate; peduncle erect, ca. 30 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm in diameter, glabrous, green or greenish; peduncle bracts the basal ones foliaceous to subfoliaceous and distinctly exceeding the internodes, the upper ones narrowly lanceolate, attenuate-caudate, erect, exceeding to shorter than the internodes, glabrous, entire, green. Inflorescence (fertile part) racemose, simple, erect, shorter than the leaves, ca. 5 cm long, rachis straight, 2–3 mm in diameter, subangulose, greenish to rose, glabrous. floral bracts suberect, shorter to slightly exceeding the pedicels, narrowly lanceolate, green, 6–15 × 1.5–2.5 mm, thin in texture, with sparse and inconspicuous uniseriate white trichomes and sparse and inconspicuous white glandulose trichomes mainly near the margins and at the base, acuminate-caudate, margins entire. Flowers ca. 20 in number, 58–60 mm long (including the pedicels), subdensely to laxly arranged, suberect to nearly erect at anthesis, slightly if at all secund, diurnal, odorless; pedicel 10–18 mm long, 1–1.5 mm in diameter, terete, orange, with inconspicuous and sparse white glandulose trichomes but appearing glabrous, suberect to nearly spreading at anthesis, forming an internal angle of ca. 135° with the axis; sepals narrowly ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex narrowly acute, ecarinate or inconspicuously if at all carinate, 15 × 4.5–5.5 mm, yellow at the base and orange toward the apex, with inconspicuous and sparse white glandulose trichomes but appearing glabrous; petals lanceolate, apex acute, 43 × 10.5–11.5 mm, orange, erect except for the slightly suberect apex at anthesis, exposing the anthers, convergent over the stamens forming a zygomorphic corolla, with very sparse and inconspicuous glandulose white trichomes on both surfaces but appearing glabrous, bearing at the base a single appendix, ca. 4 × 2.5 mm, dentate or subdentate, adnate to the petals for ca. 3 mm; stamens shorter than the petals; anthers linear, ca. 6 mm long, fixed near the base, base distinctly bilobed, apex acute and inconspicuously apiculate; filaments terete, yellow, free, with inconspicuous and sparse glandulose trichomes, 31–33 mm long, ca. 0.6 mm in diameter; stigma subcapitate, conduplicate-spiral, slightly exceeding the petals, completely exposed at anthesis, yellow, margins densely papillose; ovary 1/2 superior; ovules many, caudate.

Distribution and habitat:–– Pitcairnia kranziana is known from the type locality only. It was discovered in the county of Rio dos Bois , in the central-north region of the state of Tocantins, central Brazil, where the Cerrado vegetation prevails. It was found growing as a saxicole on a more or less vertical rock outcrop, in a shaded site in the Cerrado vegetation (fig. 16 A).

Etymology:––The name of this new species honors its collector, the Brazilian agronomist Walter Miguel Kranz from Paraná state, who has contributed significantly to the knowledge of Bromeliaceae by the introduction into cultivation of countless bromeliad species, most of them of Pitcairnioideae, which includes many new species.

Distinctive characters:— Pitcairnia kranziana (fig. 16 A–N) is morphologically related to P. torresiana (fig. 16 O–Q) due to its similar stature, color and structure of the inflorescence, and flower conformation. Nonetheless, it differs from it by its monomorphic leaves (vs. dimorphic), the outer ones narrowly triangular-lanceolate (vs. filiform), leaf blades broader (12–18 mm vs. 5–6 mm wide), appearing glabrous but with sparse and inconspicuous glandulose trichomes (vs. vestite beneath with linear twisted trichomes), peduncle glabrous (vs. flocculose-lepidote), petals orange (vs. red), and ovary 1/2 superior (vs. 2/3 superior).

This new species also resembles the enigmatic Pitcairnia ensifolia Mez (1894: 436) , which is typified by its original description and the informative plate since its type specimen deposited in Wien (W) was destroyed during the World War II. However, P. kranziana can be distinguished from it by its monomorphic leaves (vs. dimorphic), leaf blades entire (vs. serrulate), appearing glabrous but with sparse and inconspicuous glandulose trichomes (vs. furfuraceous), sepals ecarinate or slightly if at all carinate (vs. alate-carinate), petals orange (vs. red), and ovules caudate (vs. ecaudate). On the other hand, P. kranziana can be also morphologically associated to P. irwiniana L.B. Smith (1966: 153) , differing by its monomorphic leaves (vs. dimorphic), leaf blades entire (vs. serrulate), appearing glabrous but with sparse and inconspicuous glandulose trichomes (vs. white lepidote), sepals ecarinate or slightly if at all carinate (vs. alate-carinate), and ovules caudate (vs. apiculate).

Figures

FIGURE 16. A–N. Pitcairnia kranziana (Kranz B-740): A. Individual at the type locality. B. Habit. C. Inflorescence. D. Apical portion of the corolla. E. Floral bracts. F. Sepal. G. Petal. H. Conduplicate-spiral stigma type. I. Longitudinal section of the ovary. J. Detail of a stigma lobe. K. Adaxial view of the anther. L. Petal appendage. M. Detail of the remaining basal portion of the deciduous leaves. N. Details of the glandulose trichomes on the abaxial surface of the leaf blade. O–Q. Pitcairnia torresiana (Leme 7095). O. Inflorescence. P. Distal part of the corolla. Q. Habit, showing the white vestite abaxial surface of the leaf blades. Bars = 5 mm (D, G, M, P). Bars = 2 mm (E–F, H–J, K, N).