Alcantarea duarteana

Alcantarea duarteana (L.B. SMITH) J.R. GRANT, comb. nov. TSP 91 (1995).
Basionym: Vriesea duarteana L.B. SMITH, Phytologia 16: 80, 1968. TYPE: Brazil. Minas Gerais: near Diamantina, DUARTE 9017 (holotype, HB not seen; photo US).

Desc from S&D
249. Vriesea duarteana
L. B. Smith, Phytologia 16: 80,pl.2, figs.3-5. 1968. Fig 426 A-C.

Plant flowering over 1 m high.
Leaves rosulate, to 63 cm long;
Sheaths elliptic, 15 cm long, covered throughout with appressed brown-centered scales;
Blade narrowly subtriangular, long-attenuate, 4 cm wide at base, densely and finely appressed-lepidote beneath, glabrous above.
Scape erect, 2 cm in diameter, glabrous, red;
Scape-bracts erect, densely imbricate, the lower foliaceous, the upper long-attenuate from an ovate base.
Inflorescence bipinnate, sub cylindric, ca 8 cm in diameter;
Primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, suberect, their blades exceeding the lower branches;
Racemes divergent or arching from a long erect naked sterile base, to 8 cm long in all, few-flowered;
Rhachis slender, geniculate, quadrangular, glabrous.
Floral bracts more or less downwardly secund with the flowers, ovate, acute, 2 cm long, about 4 times as long as the internodes, much exceeded by the sepals, carinate, subchartaceous and nerved when dry, glabrous;
Flowers in part downwardly secund, yellow;
Pedicels rather slender, 7 mm long.
Sepals elliptic, obtuse, 25 mm long, ecarinate, nerved;
Petals evidently more than twice as long as the sepals and soon flaccid and drooping;
Pistil to 6 cm long.
Type. A.P.Duarte 9017 (holotype HB 35657), terrestrial, near Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2 Feb 1965.
DISTRIBUTION. On rock domes, 1250-1450 m alt, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
BRAZIL. MINAS GERAIS, Diamantina: Guinda, 19 jan 1972, L. B. Smith et al 15991 (HB, US); Hatschbach et al 28977 (MVM, US); Datas. 5 Feb 1972, Anderson et al 35521 (NY).


Updated 17/12/06