Aechmea distichantha Lem.
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Authority
Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (3): 1493-2142. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Bromeliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Plant flowering 3-10 dm high. Leaves erect, 15-20 in a very dense rosette, usually 3-10 dm long but sometimes to 15 dm, covered on both sides with a membrane of pale fused scales; sheaths elliptic or oblong, to 3 dm long, usually much wider than the blades, serrate toward apex and entire elsewhere; blades narrowly triangular to ligulate, rounded and apiculate, pungent, 25-80 mm wide, finely serrulate or armed with stout dark spines 4 mm long. Scape erect, slender but appearing stout from the bracts, white-flocculose; scape-bracts erect, very densely imbricate and covering the scape or exposing the extreme apex, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, rose in life, the lowest sometimes serrulate toward apex. Inflorescence always bipinnate, dense or lax, ovoid or pyramidal to slenderly subcylindric, rose and white-flocculose except the petals; primary bracts very broadly ovate, apiculate, small and often shorter than the spikes; spikes subsessile, erect to spreading, usually dense, the lateral ones with 2-12 distichous flowers, the terminal with more and polystichous flowers. Floral bracts pouch-shaped, entire, truncate, minutely apiculate or mucronulate, about equaling the ovary, subpapyraceous, nerved; flowers sessile, suberect, 15-29 mm long. Sepals asymmetric, oblong or subquadrate, mucronulate, 5-13 mm long, free or short-connate; petals obtuse, minutely serrate, purple or blue, bearing 2 oblong serrate scales at base; stamens included; ovary short-cylindric or obconic, 4-6 mm long, epigynous tube large, crateriform; placentae subcentral; ovules acute or obtuse.