Cryptanthus cajuitensis Leme & L. Kollmann, 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 : 19-21

Cryptanthus cajuitensis Leme & L. Kollmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 7 A–I , 8 A–B )

Diagnosis:––This new species is closely related to Cryptanthus ubairensis I. Ramirez (1998: 221) , but can be distinguished from it by the shorter caulescent habit (stem 7–19 cm long vs. 15–123 cm long), leaf blades smaller (7–10 × 1.9–2.4 cm vs. 13–24 × 2.5–4 cm), sepals shorter (11–14 mm vs. 15–16 mm long) and shorter connate (4–5 mm vs. 7–8 mm), and petals shorter (18–25 mm vs. ca. 33 mm long).

Type: –– BRAZIL. Bahia: Guaratinga, road Guaratinga-Cajuíta via Jacutinga , Mata de Licuri , em vertente muito íngreme, 285–350 m elev., 16º 38.48’ S, 39º 47.86’ W, 23 April 2009, E . Leme 7788, L . Kollmann , A. P . Fontana & C . Esgario (holotype RB!, isotype SEL!, CEPEC) .

Description:–– Plant terrestrial, distinctly caulescent, stem 7–19 cm long, ascending toward the apex, propagating by elongate axillar basal shoots. Leaves 7 to 12 in number, spreading-recurved before anthesis and afterwards, laxly to subdensely and subequally disposed along the stem; sheath inconspicuous, subreniform, 0.8–1 × 1.5–1.7 cm, pale, glabrous or nearly so, rugulose abaxially, apical margins densely spinulose; blade lanceolate, 7–10 × 1.7–2.4 cm, distinctly narrowed toward the base but not petiolate, thinly coriaceous, pliable, without any thicker central zone, green to bronze colored, inconspicuously canaliculate mainly toward the base, densely and coarsely white-lepidote abaxially, trichomes obscuring the leaf color, adaxially sparsely white-lepidote at the base and glabrous toward the apex, apex acuminate-caudate, margins undulate, subdensely to densely spinulose, spines antrorse, green to bronze colored toward the base, 0.5–1 mm long, 2–5 mm apart. Inflorescence (fertile part) 2–2.5 cm long, 1–2 cm in diameter, sessile; primary bracts foliaceous; fascicles 1 to 4 in number, 20 × 7–8 mm (excluding the petals), 2–3-flowered; floral bracts equaling 1/3 to 1/2 of the sepal length, narrowly triangular-lanceolate to linear, hyaline toward the base, greenish near the apex, 10–14 × 1.5–3 mm, inconspicuously and sparsely lepidote to glabrous, acuminate, margins remotely denticulate, those of the fascicles carinate; Flowers 25–32 mm long (with extended petals), sessile, fragrance not detected, those of the upper central part of the inflorescence staminate, those of the fascicles both staminate and perfect; sepals 11–14 mm long, connate for 4–5 mm, glabrous, greenish-white, hyaline along the margins, lobes narrowly suboblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 6.5–10 × 2.5–3 mm, symmetrical, obtusely if at all carinate, margins remotely denticulate; petals sublinear, apex subacute, 18–25 × 3–4.5 mm, white except for the pale greenish apex mainly before anthesis, exceeding the stamens but suberect-recurved at anthesis and exposing the stamens, connate for 2–4 mm, with conspicuous ca. 5 mm long callosities at the base of the blades; filaments 16–18 mm long, the antepetalous ones adnate to the petals for ca. 6 mm, the antesepalous ones adnate to the petal tube; anthers 1.7–3 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, base distinctly bilobed, apex obtuse; pollen spherical or nearly so, ca. 60 μm in diameter, sulcate, sulcus large, densely covered by distinctly reticulate exine elements forming a net, exine reticulate, lumina irregularly polygonal, muri thick; stigma conduplicate-spreading, blades 3–3.5 × 0.8 mm, densely and shortely scalloped-lacerate, white. Ovary 6–8 × 3–4 mm, subtrigonous, white, glabrous; epigynous tube lacking; placentation apical; ovules few, obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:–– Cryptanthus cajuitensis is a terrestrial inhabitant of the Atlantic Forest biome of the southern part of Bahia state (fig. 7 A–B), northeastern Brazil, where it was found in the county of Guaratinga in the way to the locality of Cajuíta. It grows in a steep whatershed characterized by the presence of a large formation of “licuri”, an Arecaceae species of the genus Syagrus .

The area shelters other important bromelioid species, like Hohenbergia kollmannii , described in this study, as well as the paratype population of Neoregelia retrorsa Leme & Kollmann (2011: 19) , to name a few.

Etymology:—Since this new species was collected in the neighborhood of the locality of Cajuíta, its name is a reference to its geographical origin.

Distinctive characters:— Cryptanthus cajuitensis is morphologically related to C. ubairensis which includes its general vegetative appearance resulting from its caulescence and the lanceolate leaf blades distinctly narrowed toward the base but not petiolate. However, it differs from C. ubairensis by its shorter caulescent habit (stem 7–19 cm long vs. 15–123 cm long), leaf blades smaller (7–10 × 1.9–2.4 cm vs. 13–24 × 2.5–4 cm), floral bracts smaller (10–14 × 1.5–3 mm vs. 17–19 × 8–10 mm), flowers smaller (25–32 mm vs. ca. 42 mm long), sepals shorter (11–14 mm vs. 15–16 mm long) and shorter connate at the base for 4–5 mm (vs. 7–8 mm), petals shorter (18–25 mm vs. ca. 33 mm long) and connate at the base for 2–4 mm only (vs. ca. 8 mm).

Cryptanthus venecianus Leme & L. Kollmann ( Leme et al. 2010: 31) , from Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo state, is another morphologically related species due to some shared features like caulescent habit, leaf blades narrowed toward the base, and flowers of similar size. However, C. cajuitensis can be distinguished from it by the less numerous leaves (7–12 vs. 14–18), leaf blades distinctly narrowed toward the base (vs. slightly narrowed toward the base), floral bracts narrowly triangular-lanceolate (vs. triangular), much narrower (1.5–3 mm vs. 7–8 mm), sepals with lobes narrowly suboblong-lanceolate (vs. broadly ovate), narrower (2.5–3 mm vs. ca. 4 mm), petals smaller (18–25 × 3–4.5 mm vs. 28–29 × 4.5–5 mm), anthers dorsifixed near the base (vs. dorsifixed in the middle), and pollen (fig. 8 A–B) with sulcus densely covered by distinctly reticulate exine elements (vs. sparsely covered by inconspicuously reticulate exine elements; fig. 8 C–D).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Cryptanthus cajuitensis (Leme et al. 7788): A–B. Terrestrial habit at the type locality. C. Caulescent habit. D. Inflorescence. E. Flowering specimen in cultivation. F. Floral bracts. G. Perfect flower. H. Petal and stamens. I. Conduplicate-patent stigma type. Bar = 20 mm (C). Bars = 5 mm (F–I).

FIGURE 8. Pollen. A–B. Cryptanthus cajuitensis (Leme et al. 7788). A. Frontal view of the large sulcus densely covered by distinctly reticulate exine elements forming a net. B. The reticulate exine (left) and partial view of the large sulcus (right). C–D. Cryptanthus venecianus (Leme 7743). C. Frontal view of the large sulcus sparsely covered by inconspicuously reticulate exine elements. D. The reticulate exine (left) and partial view of the large sulcus (right). SEM Photos H. Halbritter. Bars = 10 μm (A–D).