Hohenbergia vestita L.B.Sm.

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1979. Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (3): 1493-2142. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Hohenbergia vestita L.B.Sm.

  • Type

    Type. Irwin, Harley & Onishi 30287 (holotype NY), secondary forest on steep slopes, shallow lateritic clay at base of Serra da Piedade, ca 35 km east of Belo Horizonte, road to Caete, 1600 m alt, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 13 Jan 1971.

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering to 1.5 m high (! Irwin). Leaves ca 70 cm long, covered with pale appressed brown-centered scales; sheaths elliptic, 25 cm long, dark castaneous; blades ligulate, flat, 4-7 cm wide, attenuate at apex into a stout cusp, laxly serrate with flat dark spines 3-5 mm long. Scape straight, stout, pale-lanate; scape-bracts much exceeding the internodes but so narrow as to expose much of the scape, lance-ovate, attenuate to a slender cusp, covered with pale appressed scales, the upper entire. Inflorescence subcylindric, 11-27 cm long, laxly tripinnate at base with spikes about 3 in each subsessile fascicle, densely bipinnate toward apex; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts but much smaller, exceeding the lowest branches; spikes subcylindric, dense, to 5 cm long, densely pale-lanate. Floral bracts broadly ovate, broadly acute and mucronulate, to 12 mm long, about equaling the sepals, subcoriaceous, nerved, sublustrous, red when dry. Sepals very short-connate, strongly asymmetric with a rounded wing extending well above the midnerve, 6.5 mm long, unarmed.

  • Distribution

    On sandstone rocks and thin soil, 1100-1600 m alt, Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil.

    Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America|