Pitcairnia lehmannii Mez

  • 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 lehmannii Mez

  • Type

    TYPE. Lehmann s n (holotype, K; photo, GH), Pasto, Nariño, Colombia.

  • Synonyms

    Pitcairnia orgyalis Baker, Hepetis lehmannii (Baker) Mez, Pitcairnia auriculata Mez

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering 1-2 m high. Leaves all alike and persistent, over 1 m long, narrowed above the sheath but far from petiolate; sheath large, elliptic, rigid, brown, armed with spreading acicular often fascicled spines up to 7 mm long, subglabrous, blade lance-linear, 4 cm wide, entire. Scape erect; scape-bracts strict, all or all but the highest exceeding the internodes, lanceolate, entire, green. Inflorescence bipinnate; primary bracts like the upper scape-bracts, much shorter than the peduncles; branches suberect, to 23 cm long, the lower half sterile and naked, the upper densely racemose. Floral bracts reflexed, ovate-elliptic, 3 mm long, glabrous; pedicels mostly spreading, 6-7 mm long, slender. Sepals suboblong, rounded at apex and often splitting when dry to form an auricle, 13 mm long; petals 38 mm long, exceeding the stamens, red, naked or bearing a bicuspidate scale at base; ovary more than 3/4 superior; ovules caudate.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial and saxicolous, open or brushy slopes, 1200-2500 m alt, Colombia, Ecuador.

    Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America| Cauca Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America|