Tillandsia tephrosa Leme & W. Till, 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 : 44-46

Tillandsia tephrosa Leme & W. Till , sp. nov. ( Fig. 19 A–E )

Diagnosis:––This new species is closely related to Tillandsia hofackeri Ehlers (2013: 22) , but can be distinguished from it by the leaf blades longer (4–6 cm vs. 2–3 cm long), inflorescence slightly exceeding the leaves (vs. distinctly exceeding the leaves), flowers shorter (ca. 20 mm vs. ca. 30 mm long), and petals shorter (ca. 19 mm vs. 24–33 mm long).

Type: –– BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Lagoa Santa, Parque Estadual do Sumidouro, Gruta da Lapinha , limestone outcrop above the cave, 722 m elev., 19º33’40” S, 43º57’31” W, 25 May 2010, E . Leme 8305 & R. Oliveira (holotype RB!) .

Description:–– Plants epilithic, flowering 11–15 cm tall, distinctly caulescent, propagating by elongate shoots developed near the base of the peduncle, forming dense groups. Leaves 25–30 in number, densely and equally arranged along the stem, without impounding capacity; sheath inconspicuous, subtrapeziform, corrugate abaxially, ca. 0.5 × 0.6 cm, completely covered on both sides by a dense coat of cinereous, appressed trichomes; blade narrowly triangular-attenuate, 4–6 × 0.3–0.4 cm (near the base), spreading, not secund, not narrowed at the base, subrigid toward the base, pliable toward the apex, completely covered on both sides by a dense layer of cinereous appressed trichomes obscuring the blade color, apex filiform-caudate. Peduncle slender, ca. 3 cm long, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, erect, glabrescent, green; peduncle bracts the basal ones foliaceous, the upper ones with a narrowly ovate-lanceolate base 12–15 × 4 mm, partially enfolding the peduncle, reddish-rose, cinereous lepidote, and with a filiform blade 7–15 mm long, erect, densely cinereous lepidote, distinctly exceeding the internodes. Inflorescence (fertile part) simple, 20–30 mm long, erect, densely 3–4-flowered, slightly exceeding the leaves; rachis slender, slightly flexuous, greenish, glabrous, internodes 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm long; floral bracts distinctly exceeding the sepals, ecarinate, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, reddish-rose, 12–17 × 6 mm, membranaceous, thinly nerved, glabrous or the apex sometimes densely white lepidote, apex shortly caudate to apiculate (basal ones) or acute (apical ones). Flowers diurnal, odorless, polystichously and densely arranged, erect, ca. 20 mm long with extended petals, pedicels inconspicuous, ca. 1 mm long, green, glabrous; sepals narrowly lanceolate, symmetrical, erect, apex acute, 10–10.5 × 3–4 mm, glabrous, rose, thin in texture, the abaxial one free, ecarinate, the adaxial ones highly connate for ca. 7.5 mm, carinate toward the apex; petals narrowly spathulate with a narrow proximal portion in contrast to the broader distal portion, apex rounded and emarginate, 19 × 3.5–4 mm, violet-blue, free, its basal portion erect and forming a subtubular corolla except for the subspreading distal portion, exappendiculate; stamens distinctly shorter than the petals; filaments complanate, strongly plicate in the middle, white, free, ca. 0.8 mm wide; anthers narrowly oblong, at the base distinctly bilobed, apex subacute, ca. 2 mm long, dorsifixed near the base, style distinctly exceeding the anthers, ca. 12.5 mm long; ovary totally superior; stigma conduplicate-patent, lobes ca. 0.5 mm long, sparsely papillose; ovules apiculate. Capsules unknown.

Distribution and habitat:–– Tillandsia tephrosa is known from the type locality only, the state park of Sumidouro, in the county of Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. It is an epilithic species, forming small clumps on the vertical parts of the limestone outcrops above the Lapinha Cave, which is a touristic attraction in the region. Besides situated inside a state park, the area where T. tephrosa grows is located outside the permitted access to tourists, which provides additional protection for the species.

Etymology:––The name of this new species is a reference to the somewhat ash color of its leaves, based on the ancient Greek word “tephra” meaning “ashes”, which currently also means “ash and debris” ejected by a volcanic eruption.

Distinctive characters:— Tillandsia tephrosa is a member of Tillandsia subg. Anoplophytum ( Beer 1854: 346) Baker (1887: 212) , belonging to the species complex formed by T. tenuifolia . It is morphologically closely related to T. hofackeri because of its leaf blades completely covered on both sides by a dense layer of cinereous appressed trichomes obscuring the blade color and the inflorescence conformation. However, it can be distinguished from it by the larger size when in bloom (11–15 cm vs. ca. 9 cm tall), leaf blades longer (4–6 cm vs. 2–3 cm long), inflorescence slightly exceeding the leaves (vs. distinctly exceeding the leaves), floral bracts narrower (ca. 6 mm vs. 8–9 mm), flowers shorter (ca. 20 vs. ca. 30 mm long), and petals shorter (ca. 19 mm vs. 24–33 mm long) and lilac (vs. light-blue).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Tillandsia tephrosa (Leme 8305 & Oliveira): A. General view of the limestone outcrops above the Lapinha Cave at the type locality. B. Population at the type locality. C. Epilithic habit at the type locality. D. Detail of a flowering specimen in cultivation. E. Habit.