Pitcairnia nobilis Mez & Sodiro

  • 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 nobilis Mez & Sodiro

  • Type

    TYPE. Sodiro 171/11 (holotype, B; photo 889/4, B), Pangar, Riobamba, Chimborazo, Ecuador.

  • Description

    Description - Plant stemless, flowering 1 m high. Leaves all persistent, the outer ones reduced to narrowly triangular bladeless sheaths bearing lax pale spines 0.5 mm long, the inner functional, fasciculate, elongate; sheaths narrowly triangular, pale-furfuraceous beneath, spinulose-serrate; petiole to 20 cm long, entire, channeled; blade narrowly lanceolate, attenuate at both ends, 60 cm long, 23 mm wide, entire, chartaceous, glabrous or subglabrous. Scape decurved (?), stout, terete, much shorter than the leaves, sparsely furfuraceous; scape-bracts exceeding the internodes, elliptic, acuminate, entire, membranaceous, pale when dry, furfuraceous toward base. Inflorescence pendulous (?), densely racemose, to 24 cm long, dark-furfuraceous; axis stout, subangulate. Floral bracts ovate-elliptic, acuminate, the median ones 23 mm long, much exceeding the pedicels, subchartaceous, becoming glabrous; flowers all reflexed at anthesis; pedicels 5 mm long, dark-stellate. Sepals triangular, attenuate, about 28 mm long, ecarinate, subcoriaceous, becoming glabrous; petals 3/0 zygomorphic at anthesis, porrect after anthesis, ligulate, subobtuse, 85 mm long, bearing a large emarginate scale; stamens included, free, anthers 15-16 mm long; ovary subpyramidal, 3/4 superior; ovules caudate.

  • Distribution

    Known from the type collection only.

    Ecuador South America| Chimborazo Ecuador South America|