Pitcairnia nubigena Planch. & Linden

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (1): 1-658. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pitcairnia nubigena Planch. & Linden

  • Type

    TYPE. Funck & Schlim 1213 (holotype, (?), isotype, BM), near Merida, Venezuela, 1840-43.

  • Synonyms

    Hepetis nubigena (Planch. & Linden) Mez

  • Description

    Description - Plant stemless, flowering to 6 dm high. Leaves all alike, entire, persistent, rather few in a fasciculate rosette; sheaths triangular, short, brown-lepidote beneath; petioles slender, often 30 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, deeply channeled; blades very narrowly lanceolate, 30-40 cm long, 25-30 mm wide, entire, glabrous at maturity, pale green. Scape evident, erect, subglabrous; scape-bracts narrowly sublanceolate, filiform-acuminate, tubular-convolute, the upper lanceolate, 20 mm long, shorter than the internodes. Inflorescence racemose, 22 cm long, exceeded by the leaves; rhachis short, sparsely furfuraceous. Floral bracts spreading, narrowly lanceolate, acute, all about 12 mm long; flowers bright red; pedicels slender, 20 mm long, spreading then upturned at apex. Sepals triangular, slightly asymmetric at base, attenuate, 34 mm long, 7.5 mm wide, strongly alate-carinate, glabrous; petals broadly ligulate, subacute, 63 mm long, bearing a large deeply emarginate scale; stamens 12 mm shorter than the petals, anthers 10 mm long; ovary almost wholly superior; ovules caudate with short conical appendages.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial, rainforest, 1800-2400 m alt, Merida, Venezuela.

    Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America|