Aechmea tocantina Baker

  • 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

    Aechmea tocantina Baker

  • Type

    Type. Weddell [2365], (holotype P; photo GH), "Central Brazil; prov. Tocantins." (Goiás), 1844.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plant flowering 1-2 m high. Leaves 1 m or longer; sheaths broadly elliptic, large; blades ligulate, subacute and attenuate to a stout spine, to 4-10 cm wide, repand-serrate with straight or slightly curved, flat, brown spines, glabrous above, covered beneath with minute appressed pale-ferruginous scales. Scape erect, ferruginous-furfuraceous; scape-bracts imbricate and covering the scape, lance-elliptic, acute, pungent, entire, especially the lower ferruginous-lepidote. Inflorescence paniculate, subdensely cylindric, bipinnate or at base tripinnate, 17-33 cm long, 7-8 cm in diameter, many-flowered, ferruginous-tomentulose; lower primary bracts like the scape-bracts, exceeding the branches, the others much smaller, the highest nearly filiform, very short; spikes spreading, laxly 4-8-flowered, to 4 cm long, wholly fertile; rhachis nearly straight. Floral bracts distichous, spreading, ovate, mucronate, entire, 5 mm long, usually shorter than the ovary, strongly nerved, the margins free from the rhachis; flowers sessile, ca 15 mm long. Sepals strongly asymmetric, short-mucronate, 5 mm long, short-conante, subglabrous; petals linear, obtuse (?), to 11 mm long, bearing 2 fimbriate scales above the base; ovary ellipsoid, tomentulose or glabrous, epigynous tube short but distinct; placentae apical; ovules caudate.

  • Distribution

    Epiphytic and rarely terrestrial or saxicolous, 100-700 m alt, Venezuela, Guiana, Bolivia, Amazonian Brazil.

    Venezuela South America| Yaracuy Venezuela South America| Cojedes Venezuela South America| Barinas Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Bolivia South America| Beni Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America| Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America|