Chevaliera magdalenae André

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Chevaliera magdalenae André

  • Primary Citation

    Enum. Bromel. 3. 1888

  • Common Names

    piñuela

  • Description

    Author : Juan Francisco Morales, Xavier Cornejo & Reinaldo Aguilar.

    Description: Terrestrial herbs to 3 m tall, forming funnelform rosettes, growing in dense clumps, stoloniferous. Blades strap-like, 180-300 x 4.5-8 cm, the margins loosely armed with dark uncinate spines, the apex acute. Scapes erect, 30-65 cm long, stout, white-flocculose when young; scape bracts foliaceous, greatly exceeding internodes, the upper ones massed below inflorescence and reflexed, the margins serrate. Inflorescences simple or more often compound, compact, broadly pyramidal, 10-21 cm long; spikes sessile, globose, ca. 12 cm in diam.; floral bracts 3.5-9 cm long, reddish, the margins densely spinose-serrate. Flowers polystichously arranged, sessile; sepals asymmetric, narrowly triangular, 34-39 mm long, the apex acuminate, sharply pointed; petals clawed, ca. 4 cm long, yellow, bearing 2 minute truncate scales well above base, the apex acute. Fruits berries.

    Common names: Pita (Smith & Downs, 1979).

    Distribution: Mexico to Ecuador from sea level to 1300 m (Smith & Downs, 1979; Manzanares, 2002).

    Ecology: In moist to wet forests. This is a terrestrial litter trapping species (Weissenhofer et al., 2008).

    Phenology: This species has been observed with flowers in Jan, May to Oct and Dec (Morales, 2003).

    Pollination: No observations recorded.

    Dispersal: No observations recorded.

    Taxonomic notes: This species is recognized by its terrestrial habit; large size and aspect (resembling the genus Bromelia); compact inflorescences bearing polystichously arranged flowers; and conspicuous floral bracts (Morales, 2003).

    Conservation: Not recorded.

    Uses: This species is sometimes planted as a living fence because the strong spines on the leaves make it impenetrable (Manzanares, 2002).

    Etymology: The epithet refers to the type locality along the banks of Magdalena river, Colombia (Smith & Downs, 1979).

  • Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.