Orthophytum afonsoclaudense Leme, D.R. Couto & Fraga, 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 : 33-35

Orthophytum afonsoclaudense Leme, D.R. Couto & Fraga , sp. nov. ( Fig. 14 A–I )

Diagnosis:—This new species is morphologically related to Orthophytum estevesii (Rauh [ Rauh & Gross, 1991: 29]) Leme (2004: 37), but differs by its larger size when in bloom (45–48 cm vs. 12–30 cm tall), leaf blades distinctly white lepidote (vs. mostly glabrous), longer peduncle (38–39 cm vs. 6–17 cm), petals greenish (vs. white toward the apex), and green stigma (vs. white).

Type:— Brazil. Espírito Santo: Afonso Claudio, Serra Pelada, Palmital , Pedra do Sol , propriedade da família Brandemburg , 760 m elev., 20°00’36” S, 41°04’30.1” W, 20 October 2019, D. R . Couto 4892 & C . N . Fraga , fl. cult. E . Leme 9740 (holotype RB!) .

Discription:— Plants saxicolous, stemless, 45–48 cm tall when flowering, propagating by a shoot originated from the inflorescence apex. Leaves 12–15 in number, subspreading recurved at anthesis, subdensely disposed; sheath subtrapeziform, ca. 1.7 × 4 cm, densely and coarsely white lepidote toward the distal end; blade narrowly lanceolate, 20–23 × 3–3.2 cm, thickly coriaceous, ca. 2.5 mm thick near the base, slightly canaliculate, green, abaxially completely covered by a dense layer of coarse white trichomes completely obscuring blade color, distinctly nerved, adaxially densely to subdensely and coarsely white lepidote toward the base with trichomes disposed in longitudinal rows not obscuring blade color, glabrescent toward the apex, apex attenuate-caudate, margins subdensely to laxly spinose; spines triangular, straight or antrorsely uncinate, glabrous, the basal ones 2.5–3 × 1.5 mm, 3–4 mm apart, the upper ones 1–1.5 × 1 mm, 6–8 mm apart. Inflorescence (fertile part) pseudosimple, densely subcapitate-rosulate, 5–5.5 cm long, 4.5–5.5 cm in diameter, with 12–16 densely arranged flowers; peduncle 38–39 × 0.6–0.9 cm, green, densely white lanate mainly toward the base, nearly straight to flexuous at the distal end; peduncle bracts foliaceous, laxly arranged, not concealing the peduncle, spreading-recurved; primary bracts resembling the floral bracts, distinctly exceeding the inconspicuous fascicles; fascicles inconspicuous or abortive, 1–2 in number, nearly sessile, ca. 2-flowered; floral bracts strongly recurved, exceeding the sepals, ecarinate to obtusely carinate mainly the apical ones, o v ate to ovate-lanceolate, yellowish-green, 30–35 × 15–22 mm, thinly coriaceous, finely nerved, glabrous, acuminate, margins densely spinose, spines 1–1.2 mm long, uncinate, irregularly curved. Flowers sessile, 35–37 mm long (with extended petals), odorless; sepals narrowly triangular - lanceolate, attenuate-caudate, erect, thin in texture, 20–22 × 4 mm, free, pale green, glabrous, entire or the adaxial ones inconspicuously crenulate at the apex, the abaxial one ecarinate, the adaxial ones distinctly carinate with the keel decurrent on the ovary; petals narrowly spathulate, free, apex obtuse-emarginate and slightly cucullate, 26–29 × 4–5 mm, greenish throughout, erect at anthesis, bearing 2 longitudinal callosities slightly exceeding the antepetalous filaments; petal appendages echinatiform, ca. 4 mm above the base, with multi-oriented, irregularly fimbriate-digitate prolongations; filaments unequal in length, the antesepalous ones ca. 20 mm long, free, the antepetalous ones ca. 15 mm long, adnate to the petals for ca. 10 mm; anthers 2–2.5 mm long, dorsifixed at the middle, base and apex obtuse, slightly complanate at anthesis; ovary 6–7 × 7 mm, whitish, glabrous except for the inconspicuous long fimbriate white trichomes at the base, trigonous, sharply carinate laterally; epigynous tube ca. 1 mm long, crateriform; stigma simple-dilated, lobes broadened, lip-shaped, spreading, ca. 0.5 mm long, green, margins densely papillate; placentation apical; ovules many, obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:— Orthophytum afonsoclaudense is known from the type collection only, within a private farm, in Afonso Claudio municipality, in the locality of Palmital, Serra Pelada district, in the central region of Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil. This new species grows on bare, slightly inclined granitic/gneiss rocky outcrops, on Humic Litholic Neosols accumulated in shallow depressions, which are surrounded by exposed rocks and inselberg vegetation, forming islands of dense groups of plants under full sunlight.

The known populations of this new species are located between 650 and 760 m elevation and are greatly degraded by agricultural activities. Despite the presence of some small, disturbed fragments of Atlantic Forest, the inselbergs where it grows are mostly surrounded by small farms and coffee plantations and are under pressure from the rock mining industry.

Etymology:—The name chosen for this new species is a reference to the county of Afonso Claudio, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, where this new species was discovered.

Distinctive characters:— Orthophytum afonsoclaudense is morphologically related to O. estevesii because of its general appearance when in bloom and the conformation and color of the inflorescence. However, it differs by its larger size when in bloom (45–48 cm vs. 12–30 cm), longer leaf blades (20–23 cm vs. 9–20 cm), which are broader (3–3.2 cm vs. 1.5–2.2 cm) and distinctly white lepidote (vs. mostly glabrous). The trichomes on the adaxial surface and toward the base are disposed in longitudinal rows not obscuring the blade color. This new species also presents a longer peduncle (38–39 cm vs. 6–17 cm), petals greenish (vs. white toward the apex) with obtuse-emarginate and slightly cucullate apex (vs. rounded), as well as a green stigma (vs. white).

The peculiar disposition in rows of the white trichomes on the adaxial surface of the leaf blades of Orthophytum afonsoclaudense , despite less pronounced, is similar to the pattern observed in O. striatifolium Leme & L. Kollmann (2007: 152) . However, this species can be easily distinguished from it mainly by its larger size when in bloom (45–48 cm vs. 10–13 cm tall), larger leaf blades (20–23 × 3–3.2 cm vs. 8–11 × 1.4–1.5 cm), inflorescence with more flowers (12–16 vs. 6–9 in number), longer sepals (20–22 mm vs. 15–16 mm long), and petals greenish (vs. white) and erect at anthesis (vs. spreading-recurved at anthesis).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Orthophytum afonsoclaudense (Couto 4892 & Fraga): A. Habit of flowering specimens in cultivation. B. Inflorescence. C. Floral bract and flower. D. Floral bract (left) and flower (right). E. Sepal. F. Petal and antesepalous stamen. G. Petal appendages. H. Anthers with adaxial view on the left and abaxial view on the right. I. Longitudinal section of the ovary. Bars = 5 mm (D–F). Bars = 2 mm (G–I).