Wittrockia organensis Leme & Barfuss, 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 : 50-56

Wittrockia organensis Leme & Barfuss , sp. nov. ( Fig. 22 A–G )

Diagnosis:— This new species can be distinguished from its likely closest relative, Wittrockia cyathiformis (Vellozo 1831: pl. 144) Leme (1997: 67), by the inflorescence narrower (5–8 cm vs. 8–15 cm in diameter in the distal portion), flowers shorter (35–36 mm vs. 55– 60 mm long), and petals smaller (21–22 × 5 mm vs. ca. 43 × 11 mm), green toward the apex (vs. golden yellow toward the apex).

Type:— Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Teresópolis, Serra dos Órgãos , 14 March 2015, E . Leme 8988, M . Barfuss & M . de La Harpe (holotype RB!) .

Description:— Plants propagating by basal shoots. Leaves 16–20 in number, thinly subcoriaceous in texture, forming a crateriform rosette; sheath elliptic-ovate, 16 × 9–10.5 cm, pale green, densely and coarsely brown lepidote toward the base adaxially, densely and minutely brown lepidote abaxially, strongly nerved; blade lingulate, narrowed toward the base, 20–40 × 5–6.5 cm, glabrescent, green, distinctly nerved toward the base and along the margins, apex acute and apiculate, margins densely spinose, spines retrorse (basal ones) to spreading (distal ones), 1–2 mm long, 2–4 mm, apart; peduncle suberect, 37–38 × 0.7–1 cm, dark red, glabrous, sulcate; peduncle bracts narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acute and apiculate, 6–9 × 2.5–3 cm, glabrescent, dark red, densely spinulose, spines 0.5–1 mm long, one near the middle of the peduncle or at 2/3 of its length above the base, the remaining concentrated around the inflorescence and involucrate, suberect, equalling to exceeding the petals. Inflorescence (fertile part) shortly corymbose, obconic, apex stellate, twice branched, distinctly elevated above the rosette, 6–7 cm long, 5–8 cm in diameter at the apex; primary bracts resembling the involucral bracts, but gradually smaller, the outer ones narrowly ovate-lanceolate, apex acute and apiculate, suberect, 5–6 × 2–2.5 cm, glabrescent, dark red, densely spinose, spines irregularly curved, 0.5–1.5 mm long; primary fascicles 5–6 in number, 40–45 × 20–28 mm, flabellate, subcomplanate, 5–8-flowered, distinctly pedunculate, peduncle 5–7 × 11–14 mm; floral bracts equalling about 3/5 of the sepals length, carinate, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, hyaline at the base and red at the apex, 26–28 × 10–11 mm, membranaceous, finely nervate, glabrous, apex long acuminate, margins entire to remotely spinulose. Flowers 35–36 mm long, sessile, diurnal, odorless; sepals narrowly lanceolate, subsymmetrical, apex long attenuate-caudate, 24–25 × 5–5.5 mm, connate at the base for 1–1.5 mm, glabrous, green, ecarinate to obtusely if at all carinate, thick at the base and thin in texture toward the base and margins; petals subspathulate, 21–22 × 5 mm, free, membranaceous, apex acute, green toward the apex, erect except for the spreading apex at anthesis, without callosities, bearing 2 suboblong appendages at the base, ca. 4 × 1.5 mm, with irregular and long laciniate apex; filaments ca. 17 mm long, free; anthers sublinear, ca. 5 mm long, base bilobed, apex acute, fixed at ¼ of its length above the base; stigma conduplicate-spiral, obovoid, ca. 3 × 2 mm, lobes with minutely crenulate margins, without papillae, greenish-yellow; ovary subclavate to rectangular, trigonous, ca. 10 × 7 mm, white, glabrous; epigynous tube 0.5–1 mm long; placentation from median to apical; ovules many, subcylindrical, obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:––This new species was found growing terrestrially in nebular Atlantic Forest above 1,500 m elevation in the county of Teresópolis, in the Orgão mountain, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil (fig. 22 A). It forms large and dense groups of plants on the forest floor, being associated with a Vriesea sp. (fig. 22 B).

According to the additional specimens examined below, Wittrockia organensis is also encountered inside the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, in the neighbourhood of Pedra do Sino and Agulha do Diabo, about 2,000 m elevation, which represents an effective preservation of its local populations.

Etymology:––The name of this new species is a reference to the Orgãos montains, which is a portion of the Serra do Mar range in Rio de Janeiro state.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):–– BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Cachoeira do Rancho Frio , 1,400 m elev., 23 August 1940, A. C . Brade 16627 ( RB!); Teresópolis, Serra dos Órgãos , 14 March 2015, E . Leme et al. 8989 ( RB!); Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos , arredores da Pedra do Sino , 2,100 m elev., 26 September 2007, G . Heiden 892 ( RB!); ibidem, trilha para o alojamento 4 e a Pedra do Sino , 1,190 -2,130 m elev., 22º 25-32’ S , 42º 59’– 43º 07’W, 12–13 April 2011, J. A . Lombardi 8231 & Taxonomia de Campo 2011 (caderno de campo 154) ( RB!); ibidem, Agulha do Diabo , 21 February 2009, C. R . França 41 & R . Moura ( RB!) .

Distinctive characters:— Wittrockia organensis has been misidentified in Brazilian herbaria as W. cyathiformis , which is its close morphological relative [see material examined by Leme (1997) for Rio de Janeiro state concerning this species], due to its similar stature and leaf conformation, as well as the similar inflorescence shape and structure. Smith (1955) highlighted that in Nidularium classification based only on herbarium sheets is difficult and ambiguous, and this situation would only improve if much live material where examined. This is true for all members of the “Nidularioid complex”, including Wittrockia . It was for no other reason that the discovery of this new species was only possible due to the analysis of living species in bloom.

This new species can be distinguished from Wittrockia cyathiformis by the basal portion of the leaf blades with shorter marginal spines (1–2 mm vs. 2–5 mm long), primary bracts smaller (5–6 × 2–2.5 cm vs. 7–12 × 3–5 cm), suberect at anthesis (vs. spreading-recurved to strongly reflexed), with shorter spines along its basal portion (0.5–1.5 mm vs. 2–3 mm), inflorescence narrower (5–8 cm vs. 8–15 cm in diameter in the distal portion), flowers shorter (35–36 mm vs. 55–60 mm long), sepals shorter (24–25 mm vs. ca. 30 mm), connate at the base for 1–1.5 mm (vs. free), and petals smaller (21–22 × 5 mm vs. ca. 43 × 11 mm), green toward the apex (vs. golden yellow toward the apex), with basal appendages long laciniate (vs. irregularly denticulate).

× Nidunelia rodrigoana Leme, nothogen. et nothosp. nov. ( Figs. 23 A–D , 24 A–J, W–Y )

Diagnosis:—This new nothogenus and nothospecies is morphologically intermediate to its putative parents, Nidularium antoineanum and Quesnelia lateralis Wawra (1880b: 149) , differing from them by the combination of compound inflorescence with involucral primary bracts, fascicles elongate, petals shortly connate at the base, bearing well-developed longitudinal callosities as well as irregularly long laciniate appendages at the base, and stigma irregularly spiraled, bluish-white.

Type:— Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Teresópolis , P . E . Três Picos , 1,650 m elev., October 2021, R . F . da Silva s.n., cult. E . Leme 10111 (holotype RB!) .

Discription:— Plants terrestrial, ca. 50 cm tall when in bloom, propagating by short basal shoots. Leaves 10–14 in number, subcoriaceous, forming a funnelform rosette; sheath elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 13–16 × 7–8, whitish near the base and greenish toward the distal end, subdensely and inconspicuously brown lepidote toward the base adaxially, sparsely and minutely white lepidote toward the distal end, finally nerved; blade lingulate, narrowed toward the base, 37–40 × 4.3–5.3 cm, subdensely and inconspicuously white lepidote abaxially, sparsely and inconspicuously white lepidote adaxially, green, finely nerved, apex acute and apiculate, margins densely spinose, spines triangular, antrorse, 0.3–0.5 mm long, 2–6 mm apart; peduncle erect to suberect, 30 × 0.7–0.8 cm, green, glabrous, smooth; peduncle bracts the basal ones foliaceous, the distal ones resembling the basal primary bracts, green, equally arranged along the peduncle, erect, distinctly exceeding the internodes and completely covering the peduncle. Inflorescence (fertile part) shortly corymbose, narrowly obconic, twice branched, distinctly elevated above the rosette but shorter than the leaf blades, 6.5–7.5 cm long (including the primary bracts), ca. 4.5 cm in diameter at the apex; primary bracts resembling the involucral bracts, but gradually smaller, the outer ones narrowly ovate-lanceolate, apex acute and apiculate, suberect to nearly erect, ca. 9 × 3.5 cm, subdensely but inconspicuously white lepidote, green toward the base and reddish toward the margins and apex to completely dark red, densely spinose toward the apex, spines antrorse, ca. 0.5 mm long, 3–5 mm apart; primary fascicles ca. 45 × 15–17 mm, complanate, slightly elongated, ca. 4-flowered, distinctly stipitate, stipe trapeziform, ca. 5 × 7 mm, greenish-white, glabrous, slightly corrugate; floral bracts slightly exceeding the sepals, carinate, subtriangular to ovate, pale rose toward the apex, 19–20 × 9–13 mm, finely nervate, membranaceous, inconspicuously lepidote toward the apex to glabrous, apex acute and apiculate, margins entire. Flowers ca. 30 mm long, sessile, diurnal, odorless; sepals narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to suboblong, symmetrical, apex acute, 11–12 × 3.5 mm, connate at the base for 3–3.5 mm, glabrescent, greenish, finely nerved, ecarinate, thin in texture; petals lingulate, 13–20 × 3.5 mm, shortly connate at the base, membranaceous, apex obtuse-cucullate, greenish-white near the base, cobalt-blue toward the apex, erect and forming a tubular, subclavate corolla, bearing at the base 2 conspicuous callosities about equaling the filaments, as well as 2 basal appendages; appendages 1.5–2 × 1 mm, irregular in shape, more or less cuneate, irregularly long laciniate; filaments 8–13 mm long, the antepetalous ones adnate to petals for the basal half of their length, the antesepalous ones shortly adnate to the petal tube; anthers narrowly suboblong, ca. 5 mm long, base obtuse, apex apiculate, fixed near the middle; pollen narrowly ellipsoid, ca. 40 μm in diameter, porate, pores medium, exine broadly reticulate, lumina irregularly polygonal; style blue; stigma conduplicate-spiral, irregularly spiraled, ca. 2 × 1 mm, lobes with minutely crenulate margins, without papillae, bluish-white; ovary oblong to subquadrate, trigonous, 10–12 × 5–5.5 mm, white, glabrous; epigynous tube ca. 1.5 mm long; placentation from median to apical; ovules many, subcylindrical, obtuse. Fruits unknown.

Distribution and habitat:––× Nidunelia rodrigoana was found as terrestrial in a nebular Atlantic Forest, about 1,650 m elevation, inside the Três Picos State Park, Teresópolis county, in the Serra dos Orgãos mountain range, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil (fig. 23A). It forms small and dense groups of plants (fig. 23 C), growing sympatrically with the ornithophilous Nidularium antoineanum Wawra (1880a: 113) (fig. 23 E) and Quesnelia lateralis (fig, 23 F), which were found as terrestrials, saxicoles and epiphytes surrounding the small clumps of this new nothespecies.

Etymology:––The name of this new nothogenus is a combination of the names of its putative parents, Nidularium Lemaire (1854: 60) and Quesnelia Gaudichaud (1842: t. 54). The new nothospecies, × Nidunelia rodrigoana, honors its collector, the researcher of the Três Picos State Park, Rodrigo Freitas da Silva, currently studying the flora of the most elevated mountain parts of this amazing protected area. The attention of Mr. Silva was attracted to this new nothospecies by its unusual general appearance completely distinct from anything he had ever seen or documented so far for this conservation unit.

Distinctive characters:—This new nothogenus and nothospecies is morphologically intermediate between its putative relatives, Nidularium antoineanum Wawra (1880a: 113) and Quesnelia lateralis Wawra (1880b: 149) (see table 1), differing from them by the combination of compound inflorescence with involucral primary bracts, fascicles elongate, petals shortly connate at the base, forming a subclavate corolla, bearing well-developed longitudinal callosities, as well as basal irregularly long laciniate appendages, and by the stigma irregularly spiraled, bluish-white.

The pollen of this new species shares the same general characteristics of the pollen of its putative parents, being narrowly ellipsoidal, biporate with large pores, with broadly reticulate exine. In relation to N. antoineanum , this new nothogenus resembles it by the subcoriaceous leaf blades which are narrowed toward the base, the compound, corymbose inflorescence with involucral bracts, the flattened fascicles, petals with obtuse-cucullate apex, and the bluish-white stigma. Its elongate flower fascicles (due to the more elongated inflorescence of Q. lateralis ), the shortly connate petals with well-developed longitudinal callosities, the presence of long-laciniate basal appendages, the filaments shortly adnate to the petals, and the bluish-white color of the stigma with weakly spiraled lobes make it morphologically related to Q. lateralis (table 1).

Natural hybridization is a widespread, crucial phenomenon in plant evolution and diversity ( Soltis & Soltis 2009, Marques et al. 2019) and has been commonly reported mainly involving sympatric, closely related species and can reflect recent divergence time ( Zanella et al. 2016, Neri et al. 2017). In Bromeliaceae , interspecific natural hybridization is quite frequent, as well as in cultivation, and the same can also be said in relation to crosses between genera under controlled conditions, with several ex-situ intergeneric crosses registered ( Smith 1983, Grant & Zijlstra 1998, Lawn, cont. updated). However, bigeneric hybridization is seldom reported for the wild, with only few crosses documented, like × Guzlandia barbieae ( Rauh, 1985: 46) Gouda (2019: 1988), × Hohenmea itapuana B.R. Silva & L.F. Sousa ( Sousa et al. 2003: 73) (see Gouda et al. cont. updated), and three × Niduregelia nothospecies previously published as species ( Leme 2000). Once having overcome the prezygotic barriers, the rarity of the phenomenon in situ may be the consequence of different events during pollen tube growth, such as the irregular deposition of callose in pollen tubes, entangled pollen tubes in the style, and arrest of pollen tube growth in the style, among other causes ( Souza 2013).

Despite Nidularium antoineanum and Quesnelia lateralis share sympatric occurrence and have similar flower dimensions, pollen morphology, and ornithophilous pollination syndrome, they are morphologically unrelated species and also likely distant phylogenetic relatives ( Bratzel et al. 2023), which highlights the importance of this new, well field-documented nothogenus and nothospecies.

s.n.) and Quesnelia lateralis (Leme 2366) .

Figures

FIGURE 22. Wittrockia organensis (Leme et al. 8988): A. General view of the montane Atlantic Forest habitat at the type region. B. Population at the type locality. C. Habit. D. Inflorescence. F. Detail of the central part of the inflorescence. G. Detail of the corolla.

FIGURE 23. A–D. ×Nidunelia rodrigoana (Silva s.n.): A. Habitat at the type locality. B. Flowering specimen at type locality. C. Group of plants at the type locality. D. Detail of the inflorescence. E. Quesnelia lateralis (Leme 2366) which grows sympatrically at the type locality. F. Nidularium antoineanum (Leme 2223) which grows sympatrically at the type locality. A–D. Photos Rodrigo F. da Silva.

FIGURE 24. A–J. ×Nidunelia rodrigoana (Silva s.n.): A. Top view of the Inflorescence. B. Primary bract. C. Elongated basal fascicle. D. Petals and stamens. E. Floral bracts. F. Sepal. G. Immature petal with irregular basal appendages and longitudinal callosities. H. Anthers in adaxial view (left) and in abaxial-lateral view (right). I. Longitudinal section of the ovary. J. Conduplicate-spiral stigma type with irregularly spiraled lobes. K–P. Nidularium antoineanum (Leme 2223). K. Inflorescence. L. Basal fascicle. M. Petals and stamens. N. Apex of the petals. O. Anthers in adaxial view (left) and in abaxial view (right). P. Conduplicate-spiral stigma type with lobes tightly spiraled. Q–V. Quesnelia lateralis (Leme 2366). Q. Inflorescence. R. Flower. S. Petal with callosities and antesepalous stamen. T. Petal appendages. U. Longitudinal section of the ovary. V. Conduplicate stigma type weakly spiraled. W–Z. Pollen. W–Y. ×Nidunelia rodrigoana. W. Reticulate exine with less pronounced pores. Y. Detail of the pore. X. Nidularium antoineanum (Leme 2223): exine and large pores. Z. Quesnelia lateralis (Leme 2674): exine and large pores. W–Y. SEM Photos Pedro S. de Almeida. X–Z. SEM Photos H. Halbritter. Bars = 10 mm (B–C, L–M, R). Bars = 5 mm (D–F, S). Bars = 2 mm (G–I, N–O, T–U). Bars = 1 mm (J, P, V). Bars = 10 μm (W, X–Z). Bars = 5 μm (Y).