Aechmea setigera Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
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Authority
Smith, Lyman B. 1957. The Bromeliaceae of Colombia. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 33: i-v, 1-311.
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Family
Bromeliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Plant 1-3 meters high with the inflorescence extended; leaves 1 meter long, sheaths suborbicular, 9-30 cm. long, entire, very dark brown, covered below with a castaneous membrane of coalesced scales, blades ligulate, scarcely or not at all constricted at the base, acute or broadly rounded with a broad triangular apiculus, 35-70 mm. wide, densely white-lepidote beneath, densely spinose-serrate toward base, sometimes subentire toward the apex, teeth stout, black, straight or uncinate, to 15 mm. long; scape arching-dccurved, 13 mm. in diameter; scape-bracts suberect, many times exceeding the internodes, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, coarsely spinose-serrate, 2 dm. long, subchartaceous, bright red, pale-lepidote; inflorescence densely bipinnate or subtripinnate, cylindric, to 9 cm. in diameter, soon glabrous; primary bracts slenderly spiniform from a small triangular base, 3 cm. long, dark brown; spikes laxly and distichously 2-4-flowered; rliachis 25-35 mm. long, terete; floral bracts subreniform, asymmetric, 1 cm. long, green, nerved, bearing a slender brown terminal spine to 25 mm. long, those toward the apex of the spike sterile and gradually reduced to just the spine; sepals very asymmetric, subelliptic, obtuse, 16 mm. long, unarmed, free; petals ligulate, obtuse, 3 cm. long, pale greenish yellow, bearing 2 fimbriate scales at the base; epigynous tube large, urceolate; placentae subapical; ovules caudate; berry ellipsoid, 1 cm. long.