Quesnelia quesneliana (Brongn.) 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

    Quesnelia quesneliana (Brongn.) L.B.Sm.

  • Type

    Type. Paris Hortus s n (holotype, P; photo, GH), 1841.

  • Synonyms

    Billbergia quesneliana Brongn., Quesnelia rufa E.Morren, Billbergia roseo-marginata K.Koch, Quesnelia roseo-marginata Carrière, Billbergia rubro-marginata Carrière, Quesnelia cayennensis Baker

  • Description

    Description - Flowering plant sometimes of medium height with rosulate leaves and at other times 2.5 m high with an elongate stem 4-5 cm in diameter at base. Leaves many, suberect or the lower ones arching to recurved, to 9 dm long; sheaths elliptic, large, much broader than the blades, inflated, entire, green, covered on both sides with small appressed whitish scales; blades ligulate, broadly acute with a dark rigid apex, 3-5 cm wide, densely serrate with straight dark spines 1-3 mm long, densely lepidote and more or less white-banded beneath. Scape central, erect, shorter than the leaves; scape-bracts erect, densely imbricate, lanceolate with a thick rigid apex, submembranaceous, entire or nearly so, rose when young, soon white. Inflorescence simple, dense, cylindric or slenderly ellipsoid, 13-20 cm long, 6-7 cm in diameter. Floral bracts in 6-10 ranks, erect, densely imbricate, about equaling the flowers, subligulate with the broad margins white-lepidote, strongly crisped, and strongly contrasting with the rose subglabrouse flat center, entire to irregularly serrulate; flowers sessile, 3-5 cm long. Sepals free, broadly oblong, asymmetric, truncate or emarginate, 10 mm long, densely pale-lepidote; petals erect, suboblong with incurved apex, 20-25 mm long, bearing 2 serrate scales at base, the blade blue; stamens included at anthesis, anthers oblong with a produced acute connective; ovary subcylindric, densely white-lepidote, the epigynous tube large; placenta central.

  • Distribution

    Largely terrestrial on strand or coast scrub to forest, near sea level, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Guanabara Brazil South America|